I had a chat with one of my sisters tonight. I guess I've been getting more and more disgusted with politics and business and the people who populate those domains and I expressed my frustrations to her. It was more than frustration. It was virulent hatred toward people who I believe, deep in my heart, take advantage of every human being they can purely for their own profit and personal benefit.
My sister argued that not all people are like that. She argued that there are plenty of people who are genuinely good, at their cores, and who care about others and would do anything to help someone else in need. She should know. She is one of those people. If someone is hungry, she'll feed them. If someone is thirsty, she'll provide a drink. If someone needs a place to sleep, she'll provide shelter. Of course she can afford all of this. Life hell she can! She's living on a tiny, meager income provided by Social Security (I think) that's available to people who physically cannot work anymore. That's right. She gets shit from Uncle Sam, and she shares it!
If anyone in the world ought to be looking out after number one, she is that person. But instead, she'll buy the Thanksgiving Turkey for people who can't afford a cup of soup on Thanksgiving Day.
Would that even a fraction of us behaved in the way my sister does. If a tiny piece of the population would help someone mow their lawns, make a meal, paint their house, make a trip to the doctor, vacuum the floor, clean the bathroom...anything...we would have very few, if any, people in real need. I'm tired of hearing people like me TALK about this stuff. Unless you actually DO SOMETHING about it, I don't want to hear a fucking peep out of you! And that includes me.
You won't see another post on this blog until I have done something more than bitch about the state of the world. The next time I post, I'll have something to post about. And I'll be proud to post. Right now, I'm not so proud. Writing about the plight of the poor doesn't count. Buying a poor person lunch or paying his electric bill or covering the cost of a night in a hotel does. And before you launch into "you're only perpetuating their plight" with regard to giving money to alcoholics, how about handing them a sandwich? And shut the fuck up!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Utah
Utah Phillips died last Friday. He's mourned by too few, but his legacy will live on.
There will be no obituary, no sons and daughters grieving when I go. It will be an event that doesn't interrupt anyone's day and that surely doesn't cause anyone to mourn. I wish it weren't too late to matter. It's a shame to have wasted a life, though I suppose most lives are.
We try to matter, only to find that we don't even matter to ourselves, much less to the society into which we are born without our authorization or consent. Some, but very few, of us manage to be noticed. Fewer still go beyond being noticed, far enough beyond being noticed to make a difference. The rest of us become food for the future, moldering away beneath the feet of others who come after and don't matter any more than we do.
So what if the sun burns out, a million years hence? It's not like it really matters.
But Utah managed, somehow, to matter.
There will be no obituary, no sons and daughters grieving when I go. It will be an event that doesn't interrupt anyone's day and that surely doesn't cause anyone to mourn. I wish it weren't too late to matter. It's a shame to have wasted a life, though I suppose most lives are.
We try to matter, only to find that we don't even matter to ourselves, much less to the society into which we are born without our authorization or consent. Some, but very few, of us manage to be noticed. Fewer still go beyond being noticed, far enough beyond being noticed to make a difference. The rest of us become food for the future, moldering away beneath the feet of others who come after and don't matter any more than we do.
So what if the sun burns out, a million years hence? It's not like it really matters.
But Utah managed, somehow, to matter.
Come Along and Be My Alpha Dog...Come Along and Be My...
Today has been less than wonderful so far. My wife's sinuses continued to trouble her and she felt generally rotten all day. We left for the office an hour late so she could sleep in, then came home sometime after 1:00 pm so she could sleep again. And it rained like it was monsoon season.
But she woke up, hungry for pizza, so we popped one into the oven and ripped through it greedily, as if neither of us had eaten in weeks. I know I ate yesterday. Soba noodles from a local Noodle Wave dive. I had forgotten I took a photo. Not sure why I need to photograph my food lately, but it adds a little color to my posts, don't you think?
Last night, I intended to post a note to Nicole, but instead I posted it first to Black Soap, where I'd first read some of Nicole's posts. I apologized to both of them, blaming early-onset dementia. It's scary, though, since that may actually be what it is.
Almost nobody has been posting any comments lately (except Nicole and Kona...and I thank you). What about my pig post and my post about the incredible flamenco-style guitars and my wierd post about many things? Hmmph.
By the way, I've been giving serious (actually, really, serious) thought to doing something completely different...opening up a hot-dog stand. I have lots of ideas about hot dogs I think would go over very well. And I could continue being the "boss," which apparently is my overriding desire, though god knows why. Yes, my new hot-dog stand could be a huge success. And I could continue to be the alpha dog. (That's just the start, my friends, that's just the start!)
But she woke up, hungry for pizza, so we popped one into the oven and ripped through it greedily, as if neither of us had eaten in weeks. I know I ate yesterday. Soba noodles from a local Noodle Wave dive. I had forgotten I took a photo. Not sure why I need to photograph my food lately, but it adds a little color to my posts, don't you think?Last night, I intended to post a note to Nicole, but instead I posted it first to Black Soap, where I'd first read some of Nicole's posts. I apologized to both of them, blaming early-onset dementia. It's scary, though, since that may actually be what it is.
Almost nobody has been posting any comments lately (except Nicole and Kona...and I thank you). What about my pig post and my post about the incredible flamenco-style guitars and my wierd post about many things? Hmmph.
By the way, I've been giving serious (actually, really, serious) thought to doing something completely different...opening up a hot-dog stand. I have lots of ideas about hot dogs I think would go over very well. And I could continue being the "boss," which apparently is my overriding desire, though god knows why. Yes, my new hot-dog stand could be a huge success. And I could continue to be the alpha dog. (That's just the start, my friends, that's just the start!)
Monday, May 26, 2008
Random Winnings
I don't know why I'm still awake. It's just a shade past midnight and I am not feeling the least bit tired. Well, maybe I am feeling a touch tired, but I'm not feeling even remotely ready to go to bed. I guess I'm wired, with alot on my mind. I'm not ready to go back to work tomorrow. I suppose I must.
My wife either slept or moped most of the day today, courtesy of her sinuses/allergies, so I can't blame my being wired on having done too much today. To the contrary, maybe I wasn't able to disipate a sufficient amount of energy during the course of the day because I had to be a bit quiet to keep from disturbing her. I doubt that, though.
I can blame the heat for my not being ready for bed. It's past midnight, as I said, and it's 82 degrees. That is fundamentally wrong. It should NEVER be in the 80s past midnight.
I just noticed a March 15 Lotto Texas ticket sitting on my desk. I am just fucking tickled pink to tell you that, after checking the numbers, my streak continues unabated! My ticket had not a single one of the winning numbers for that date! But, as luck would have it, nobody else won, either. So, on May 28, there will be another drawing and another chance to win $16 million ($9.9 million with the cash option).
I am confident that, finally, I'll both buy a ticket and that the ticket I buy will have the winning numbers for the next drawing on the 28th. I may stop working, but I won't stop blogging!
My wife either slept or moped most of the day today, courtesy of her sinuses/allergies, so I can't blame my being wired on having done too much today. To the contrary, maybe I wasn't able to disipate a sufficient amount of energy during the course of the day because I had to be a bit quiet to keep from disturbing her. I doubt that, though.
I can blame the heat for my not being ready for bed. It's past midnight, as I said, and it's 82 degrees. That is fundamentally wrong. It should NEVER be in the 80s past midnight.
I just noticed a March 15 Lotto Texas ticket sitting on my desk. I am just fucking tickled pink to tell you that, after checking the numbers, my streak continues unabated! My ticket had not a single one of the winning numbers for that date! But, as luck would have it, nobody else won, either. So, on May 28, there will be another drawing and another chance to win $16 million ($9.9 million with the cash option).
I am confident that, finally, I'll both buy a ticket and that the ticket I buy will have the winning numbers for the next drawing on the 28th. I may stop working, but I won't stop blogging!
Pig Meat...It's What I Had for Dinner
You may not know it, but if you had been given the opportunity to eat what I ate for dinner tonight, you would have been willing to relinquish the rights to your left arm. You would have been willing to assassinate bad leaders of good countries. You would have been willing to sell bad drugs to innocent young Republicans. Yes, you would have been willing to go to the dark side for my meal. But you didn't get the chance, did you? And do you know why? Because you didn't come to my house! If you had come to my house, I would have let you have some of this wondeful food. But no! You had places to be and things to see! Harrumph!I wrote to you this morning about the barbeque sauce/marinade. Well, once the pork ribs are cooked to perfection, they are addictive like drugs. And the potatoes? Wonderful. I didn't make pickled beets, but instead I diced some nice ripe tomatoes and a bit of fresh onion, shredded some fresh leaf basil, blended a bit of extra virgin olive oil and good balsamic vinegar, mixed it all up, and sprinkled a bit of course Kosher salt (you know, to go with the pork) on top...let it sit for 30 minutes and it's wonderful.
Lazy Wanderings
Coffee with Public Plant Perspectives
More coffee today. This time, I'm drinking from a mug we bought at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago. If you've never been to the place, it's definitely worth a visit. It's amazing that such a place could have been built one hundred years ago. It's a reminder, to me at least, that there were plenty of grand ideas and even grander ways of executing them back at the turn of the twentieth century.
Cute idea, huh?
Wandering, with Food
My wife and I did a little local wandering late yesterday afternoon (after our lunch at La Calle Doce in Oak Cliff), managing to get lost of the eastern half of Loop 12 around Dallas. It was interesting...we saw many parts of the city we'd never seen before. After our adventure, we decided to stop in at one of our favorite pubs, The Old Monk, where she had a glass of wonderful sangria, I had a Guiness, and we shared some frites with spicy mayo and tarragon mayo (neither of which I like...I sprinkle them with malt vinegar, instead). If I'd been thinking, I would have taken photos, but I wasn't thinking and you probably wouldn't have found the photo interesting, anyway.
Speaking of Food
Between sips of coffee this morning, I made a batch of barbeque sauce/marinade for some boneless pork ribs I'll grill this evening. Here they are, soaking up the sauce/marinade, anxious to get on the grill, where they will be seared quickly, then grilled just long enough to cook them through and through but keep them very juicy. My recipe for the sauce is not really a recipe. No, it's simply a list of what I used, without precise measures. Here are the ingredients, all of which are put into a small sauce pan (all measures are estimates...I just pour "stuff" in and don't bother with cups, measuring spoons, etc.:
about a cup of tomato ketchup
3-4 tablespoons of juice from a can of pickled jalapeños
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of juice from an empty jar of dill pickles
2-3 tablespoons of chile powder
2 teaspoons of ground oregano
3-4 dashes of worstershire sauce
1 tablespoon of mustard seed
1 bay leaf (that is the exact measure), broken in half
Heat the concoction on low heat for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and begins to bubble just slightly.
I spoon it over the pork ribs and let them sit (covered, in the refrigerator), all day. About 45 minutes before I'm ready to serve, I fire up the grill and sear them on both sides when the fire's hot enough. I move them to a cooler spot on the grill and regularly lather them with more sauce until I cannot control myself any longer. Then, I rush them inside, throw them on some plates, and eat them with wild abandon. Some things that are good with grilled pork ribs are spiced pickeled beets, baked and diced new potatoes mixed with a bit of butter and chives (warmed on top of the stove), and anything else that sounds good at the time you're ready to eat.
Send Them to Canada
My next door neighbors, according to the teenaged male child from that family, are moving to Canada. Not that I wish any harm to Canada, of course. The house has a for-sale sign in front of it and I hope it sells soon. Good riddance. The neighbors are a basically unfriendly lot who do their best to stress how little they care about the neighborhood and the neighbors. If I were selfish (What?!, if I were?), I'd wish for a couple who are liberal in their politics, adventurous in their taste in food, completely non-religious, friendly, and fun to be around.
That about wraps it up for now. More when the mood strikes.
More coffee today. This time, I'm drinking from a mug we bought at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago. If you've never been to the place, it's definitely worth a visit. It's amazing that such a place could have been built one hundred years ago. It's a reminder, to me at least, that there were plenty of grand ideas and even grander ways of executing them back at the turn of the twentieth century.
Cute idea, huh?
Wandering, with Food
My wife and I did a little local wandering late yesterday afternoon (after our lunch at La Calle Doce in Oak Cliff), managing to get lost of the eastern half of Loop 12 around Dallas. It was interesting...we saw many parts of the city we'd never seen before. After our adventure, we decided to stop in at one of our favorite pubs, The Old Monk, where she had a glass of wonderful sangria, I had a Guiness, and we shared some frites with spicy mayo and tarragon mayo (neither of which I like...I sprinkle them with malt vinegar, instead). If I'd been thinking, I would have taken photos, but I wasn't thinking and you probably wouldn't have found the photo interesting, anyway.
Speaking of Food
Between sips of coffee this morning, I made a batch of barbeque sauce/marinade for some boneless pork ribs I'll grill this evening. Here they are, soaking up the sauce/marinade, anxious to get on the grill, where they will be seared quickly, then grilled just long enough to cook them through and through but keep them very juicy. My recipe for the sauce is not really a recipe. No, it's simply a list of what I used, without precise measures. Here are the ingredients, all of which are put into a small sauce pan (all measures are estimates...I just pour "stuff" in and don't bother with cups, measuring spoons, etc.:about a cup of tomato ketchup
3-4 tablespoons of juice from a can of pickled jalapeños
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of juice from an empty jar of dill pickles
2-3 tablespoons of chile powder
2 teaspoons of ground oregano
3-4 dashes of worstershire sauce
1 tablespoon of mustard seed
1 bay leaf (that is the exact measure), broken in half
Heat the concoction on low heat for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and begins to bubble just slightly.
I spoon it over the pork ribs and let them sit (covered, in the refrigerator), all day. About 45 minutes before I'm ready to serve, I fire up the grill and sear them on both sides when the fire's hot enough. I move them to a cooler spot on the grill and regularly lather them with more sauce until I cannot control myself any longer. Then, I rush them inside, throw them on some plates, and eat them with wild abandon. Some things that are good with grilled pork ribs are spiced pickeled beets, baked and diced new potatoes mixed with a bit of butter and chives (warmed on top of the stove), and anything else that sounds good at the time you're ready to eat.
Send Them to Canada
My next door neighbors, according to the teenaged male child from that family, are moving to Canada. Not that I wish any harm to Canada, of course. The house has a for-sale sign in front of it and I hope it sells soon. Good riddance. The neighbors are a basically unfriendly lot who do their best to stress how little they care about the neighborhood and the neighbors. If I were selfish (What?!, if I were?), I'd wish for a couple who are liberal in their politics, adventurous in their taste in food, completely non-religious, friendly, and fun to be around.
That about wraps it up for now. More when the mood strikes.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Sunday Lunch
From La Calle Doce, our favorite Mexican Seafood place in Dallas.
Mine (Siete Mares Coctel [oysters, shrimp, octopus, fish, crab in a sauce made with ketchup, avocados, diced jalapenos, onions, cilantro, etc.])
:
My wife's (Silka's Favorite [cup of fish soup (not in this photo), blue corn tortilla topped with ceviche, fish taco, black bean salad, rice, rich chipotle sauce]):
Mine (Siete Mares Coctel [oysters, shrimp, octopus, fish, crab in a sauce made with ketchup, avocados, diced jalapenos, onions, cilantro, etc.])
:
My wife's (Silka's Favorite [cup of fish soup (not in this photo), blue corn tortilla topped with ceviche, fish taco, black bean salad, rice, rich chipotle sauce]):
U.S. Government Forcibly Drugs People
Please, please, please read this item from the May 14 Washington Post and then write to your Senators and Representatives, demanding that the United States immediately stop behaving like a Nazi torture squad!
The article, in case you haven't read it yet, deals with the government's forced use of antipsychotic drugs on people who have no history of mental illness. These people are not terrorists. They are not dangerous drug kingpins. They are not even criminals in most cases except that they are in this country illegally...oftentimes simply because they overstayed their visas. Yet our own government forcibly injects them with chemical cocktails to sedate them for the plane trip "home."
When you read about these deportees being forcibly injected with drugs, ask yourself whether this government would ever consider doing such a thing to its own citizens. I hope you know the answer to that question and I hope you refuse to let it go on a moment longer.
The article, in case you haven't read it yet, deals with the government's forced use of antipsychotic drugs on people who have no history of mental illness. These people are not terrorists. They are not dangerous drug kingpins. They are not even criminals in most cases except that they are in this country illegally...oftentimes simply because they overstayed their visas. Yet our own government forcibly injects them with chemical cocktails to sedate them for the plane trip "home."
When you read about these deportees being forcibly injected with drugs, ask yourself whether this government would ever consider doing such a thing to its own citizens. I hope you know the answer to that question and I hope you refuse to let it go on a moment longer.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Whee! It's the Weekend!
Most of the dishes in the kitchen are clean. I'm working on my second large cup of very strong, dark coffee (two views here...nice cup, don't you think?).
I read the latest issue of The Texas Observer cover to cover (which doesn't take long). I've updated my homeowners' association website and sent a few emails to prospective advertisers for the upcoming directory. I'm in a leisurely productive mode thus far this morning and I like that. I've returned temporarily to my "stop griping" mode and have noticed it feels better. I may try this more often.
I tried to convince my wife yesterday that spending this long weekend in the country at my brother's place in Falba would be a good thing. She suggested I go by myself, but she had things to do at home. I opted to stay home, since to take her up on her suggestion would have resulted in a nose or two out of joint.
My favorite wife in the entire universe is off to the drycleaner/launderer shortly and she has graciously agreed to take the one dress shirt in need of cleaning and pressing in for me. If I were not such a lazy slug, whenever I wear a long-sleeved dress shirt (which is increasingly rare) I would launder and iron it myself, instead of paying someone else $1.25 plus tax. But, from all appearances I am a lazy slug. I'm not complaining, though.
Thanks to a restaurant experience while we were in Chicago recently, my wife and I have decided that, this weekend, we will have pasta with arrabiata sauce. I ordered cavatelli arrabiata at Rosebud on Rush our last night in the city and was overwhelmed with wonder. I've apparently never had arrabiata sauce (at least not that I recall and I would have recalled it had it been that good)...but now we are both avid fans of the stuff...provided we can master the recipe to replicate our Chicago experience.
Speaking of Chicago, I've been promising myself I would post a few more photos from our trip. So, here are a few more:
I read the latest issue of The Texas Observer cover to cover (which doesn't take long). I've updated my homeowners' association website and sent a few emails to prospective advertisers for the upcoming directory. I'm in a leisurely productive mode thus far this morning and I like that. I've returned temporarily to my "stop griping" mode and have noticed it feels better. I may try this more often.
I tried to convince my wife yesterday that spending this long weekend in the country at my brother's place in Falba would be a good thing. She suggested I go by myself, but she had things to do at home. I opted to stay home, since to take her up on her suggestion would have resulted in a nose or two out of joint.
My favorite wife in the entire universe is off to the drycleaner/launderer shortly and she has graciously agreed to take the one dress shirt in need of cleaning and pressing in for me. If I were not such a lazy slug, whenever I wear a long-sleeved dress shirt (which is increasingly rare) I would launder and iron it myself, instead of paying someone else $1.25 plus tax. But, from all appearances I am a lazy slug. I'm not complaining, though.
Thanks to a restaurant experience while we were in Chicago recently, my wife and I have decided that, this weekend, we will have pasta with arrabiata sauce. I ordered cavatelli arrabiata at Rosebud on Rush our last night in the city and was overwhelmed with wonder. I've apparently never had arrabiata sauce (at least not that I recall and I would have recalled it had it been that good)...but now we are both avid fans of the stuff...provided we can master the recipe to replicate our Chicago experience. Speaking of Chicago, I've been promising myself I would post a few more photos from our trip. So, here are a few more:
Friday, May 23, 2008
Everything's Going My Way!
Shit. That's what I say. Shit.
Maybe a longish weekend will improve my attitude. In the meantime, Shit!
Maybe a longish weekend will improve my attitude. In the meantime, Shit!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Make Believe
It's 3:45 a.m. I've been up for an hour, but I'll go back to bed soon.
I got my times screwed up and joined an international phone teleconference two hours late. I caught the last fifteen minutes, missing my opportunity to contribute anything of consequence. And so here I sit, feeling tired and annoyed at myself for missing the call and angy at mankind for having pissed away our last opportunities to avoid the collapse of civilization.
Stay tuned for more on impending food riots, gasoline wars, and mass starvation. Preview the coming failures of food distribution systems, power grids, healthcare system, sewer and sanitaion services, and civil order. Watch as class warfare of biblical proportions erupts worldwide.
Wouldn't it be great if all of this were just make-believe?
I got my times screwed up and joined an international phone teleconference two hours late. I caught the last fifteen minutes, missing my opportunity to contribute anything of consequence. And so here I sit, feeling tired and annoyed at myself for missing the call and angy at mankind for having pissed away our last opportunities to avoid the collapse of civilization.
Stay tuned for more on impending food riots, gasoline wars, and mass starvation. Preview the coming failures of food distribution systems, power grids, healthcare system, sewer and sanitaion services, and civil order. Watch as class warfare of biblical proportions erupts worldwide.
Wouldn't it be great if all of this were just make-believe?
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Thanks for Nothing
About 30 years ago, when I was in college, it was common knowledge that petroleum reserves were nonrenewable. People knew that, at some point, the oil would run out. We knew that the air and the water and the earth on which we live had limits as to the amount of abuse and misuse they could tolerate. The energy and environmental concerns that today are becoming immediate crises were not "maybe." They were known to be real. And many college-aged kids of the day spoke out loudly, calling on politicians and other leaders to take action to protect ourselves from ourselves.
The politicians didn't listen and an entire generation simply gave up trying to change the world. Now, I'm afraid, it's just too late. Even if the entire population of the earth woke up tomorrow with a commitment to turn things around, I'm confident it would be too little, too late. Instead of investing in the future, the population of the earth invested in the moment. And now, that moment has passed.
Fifty years from now, the people who still populate this miserable earth will be eeking out a dull existence from an injured planet that won't willingly support those remaining parasites. Life will be hard and the amenities and luxuries to which we have grown accustomed, and now are about to lose, will be distant memories.
My prophesy will have come to pass. The New Malthusian Imperative will have been thrust upon us unwillingly with our own hands. The population emergency that should have been addressed in the 1950s along with mankind's rape of the planet will have come and gone.
Except for a tiny glimmer of wishful thinking...I can't call it hope, because it's too weak and too implausable to be hope...I'd say we might as well enjoy what little we have left. Drive the Hummers, leave the water running, throw the acid down the sink, discard your trash by setting it ablaze in your yard. It's all pointless now.
Today's ten-year-old children have a miserable, bleak, depressing future to which they can look forward. And they can thank their parents and their parents' parents for giving up on the politicians and for indulging their own selfishness. They can thank those people for nothing!
The politicians didn't listen and an entire generation simply gave up trying to change the world. Now, I'm afraid, it's just too late. Even if the entire population of the earth woke up tomorrow with a commitment to turn things around, I'm confident it would be too little, too late. Instead of investing in the future, the population of the earth invested in the moment. And now, that moment has passed.
Fifty years from now, the people who still populate this miserable earth will be eeking out a dull existence from an injured planet that won't willingly support those remaining parasites. Life will be hard and the amenities and luxuries to which we have grown accustomed, and now are about to lose, will be distant memories.
My prophesy will have come to pass. The New Malthusian Imperative will have been thrust upon us unwillingly with our own hands. The population emergency that should have been addressed in the 1950s along with mankind's rape of the planet will have come and gone.
Except for a tiny glimmer of wishful thinking...I can't call it hope, because it's too weak and too implausable to be hope...I'd say we might as well enjoy what little we have left. Drive the Hummers, leave the water running, throw the acid down the sink, discard your trash by setting it ablaze in your yard. It's all pointless now.
Today's ten-year-old children have a miserable, bleak, depressing future to which they can look forward. And they can thank their parents and their parents' parents for giving up on the politicians and for indulging their own selfishness. They can thank those people for nothing!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Democracy? No, Institutional Greed.
Today, out of the blue, I got a call from the Professional Employer Organization (PEO) that we have engaged for several years to handle our payroll and, most importantly, give us access to health insurance for all of our staff. The call was made to inform me that the company is dropping us because we have been, and they believe we will always be, unprofitable to them. No suggestion that we might be profitable if they hiked their fees. No, they're just dropping us.
This is gut-wrenching news because it's damn near impossible for our company to get insurance coverage for our staff. Without a PEO, we don't stand a chance. AdminiStaff, the biggest one, won't even consider us because they required "7 FTEs" at minimum. We've been turned away by others in the past.
So, we're forced to look to find another PEO that might consider taking us, that might give us access to health care coverage. Health care coverage is not a matter of money (though it's certainly important); it's a matter of companies not wanting a guy with a history of heart surgery, a woman with a weak heart and a history of breast cancer, and various others who are not the picture of youth and guaranteed physical perfection.
This call came just before the office space broker called to say the rates he had given me on several spaces I've been looking at were several dollars higher per square foot than he has told me.
I'm angry tonght. I'm pissed off at the PEO for serving only the money masters and for caring fuck-all about their clients. When it comes to looking out after their clients' interests or keeping their shareholders happy with current income, it's a clear case of screwing the clients to the wall and licking the asses of the shareholders.
I'm pissed off at office space being ridiculously expensive. Consider this: why is 2,500 square feet of office space valued at 6-8 times the value assigned to a similarly-sized residence? Why? Because greedy mother-fuckers can strong-arm people into paying it.
Tonight, I'm as close as I've ever been to adopting a thoroughly Communist philosophy of economic and social justice. And if it means violent insurrection to give us the opportunity to see if we can get it right, then so be it. We've certainly created a miserable fucking failure with democracy and capitalism.
This is gut-wrenching news because it's damn near impossible for our company to get insurance coverage for our staff. Without a PEO, we don't stand a chance. AdminiStaff, the biggest one, won't even consider us because they required "7 FTEs" at minimum. We've been turned away by others in the past.
So, we're forced to look to find another PEO that might consider taking us, that might give us access to health care coverage. Health care coverage is not a matter of money (though it's certainly important); it's a matter of companies not wanting a guy with a history of heart surgery, a woman with a weak heart and a history of breast cancer, and various others who are not the picture of youth and guaranteed physical perfection.
This call came just before the office space broker called to say the rates he had given me on several spaces I've been looking at were several dollars higher per square foot than he has told me.
I'm angry tonght. I'm pissed off at the PEO for serving only the money masters and for caring fuck-all about their clients. When it comes to looking out after their clients' interests or keeping their shareholders happy with current income, it's a clear case of screwing the clients to the wall and licking the asses of the shareholders.
I'm pissed off at office space being ridiculously expensive. Consider this: why is 2,500 square feet of office space valued at 6-8 times the value assigned to a similarly-sized residence? Why? Because greedy mother-fuckers can strong-arm people into paying it.
Tonight, I'm as close as I've ever been to adopting a thoroughly Communist philosophy of economic and social justice. And if it means violent insurrection to give us the opportunity to see if we can get it right, then so be it. We've certainly created a miserable fucking failure with democracy and capitalism.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Chicago Experience 3
OK, just to keep up the modest flow of flotsam, here are some more (a very few) pictures from our Chicago trip. In order: beautiful flowers in the Garfield Conservatory; the Pavilion at Millenium Park, along with the superstructure for its amphtitheater's sound and lighting system; a view inside Wrigley Field, looking inward from a southeastern gate; and Hot Diggity Dogs, a good Chicago example of street food (something sorely lacking in Dallas).
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Ann Sather: Breakfast in Stockholm, Almost
OK, one more photo before I call it a day. We ate at Ann Sather for breakfast one morning while we were in Chicago. This is my breakfast, a poached egg, a Swedith sausage, Swedish pancakes, lingonberry sauce, sliced tomatoes, and a Swedish meatball. Ahhh! Since we moved away 20 years ago, Ann Sather has opened up several locations, but our favorite is still just up the street from the original location we remember.
We loved our visit to Stockholm a few years ago. The visit to Ann Sather made me remember: I want to go back!
We loved our visit to Stockholm a few years ago. The visit to Ann Sather made me remember: I want to go back!
Subarus and Headlights, Too
Before I get into the Subaru situation, here's the latest image from my car's dashboard which may explain my periodic "new car fever" of late. This photo is from this afternoon. 
I haven't yet decided whether to pitch The Bastard and replace him with another car or not. I drove several Subarus yesterday and was impressed to some extent, in this order:
I haven't yet decided whether to pitch The Bastard and replace him with another car or not. I drove several Subarus yesterday and was impressed to some extent, in this order:
- I really liked the 2005 Forester (with 42K miles) I drove; great handling and nice road feel
- The 2009 Forester XT was more luxurious and had that new car smell, but it was lacking in some way, not sure how
- The 2008 Forester XT Turbo was nice, but I so loathed the salesman at that dealership I managed to transfer my feelings to the car I drove (plus, the car requires premium fuel, so that's out)
- The 2008 Outback was nice, but very cramped
Friday, May 16, 2008
Chicago: 2
I bitched a little about our room rates while we were in Chicago (as I am wont to do) and sent a nasty note to "Corporate" with my complaints. Today, I got a letter from the GM, apologizing that they were unable to meet my expectations, but saying they want to make it up to me by giving me a $39/night rate on my next trip and upgrading me to a suite. I swear, this is true. I'm delirious with joy. I cannot imagine what the "suite" at the downtown Howard Johnson's mus be like. Here are a few more photos from Chicago.
So, I'm gung ho for another trip, as soon as it can be arranged!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Chicago: Experience 1
Here's the first picture from our Chicago adventure. It's the Cloud Gate (otherwise known as "The Bean," a fabulous piece of interactive art in Millenium Park. I'll write more and share more photos later. I'm not quite ready to share my full core-dump, at least not just yet. Click on the photo to embiggen (as some who roam here would say).
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Back in the City of Sad Shoulders
We're back in Dallas. I took billions of pictures. I'll post some of them sometime, along with an earthshattering travelogue of our time in the City of Big Shoulders. In due time, of course.
It was spectacular! I'm ready to re-relocate back to Chicago! All I need is a source of income to live there. I may just start sending resumes.
Food, of course, played into our experience, but it wasn't the only thing. Watch this space for food, architecture, art, outdoor experiences, the joys of public transportation, and much, much more!
But first, I have to finish this week at the office. What a miserable way to end a vacation!
It was spectacular! I'm ready to re-relocate back to Chicago! All I need is a source of income to live there. I may just start sending resumes.
Food, of course, played into our experience, but it wasn't the only thing. Watch this space for food, architecture, art, outdoor experiences, the joys of public transportation, and much, much more!
But first, I have to finish this week at the office. What a miserable way to end a vacation!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The City of Big Shoulders
Be patient. (Right, I know you'll be waiting with bated breath.) I'll post again no later than Wednesday, May 14. In the meantime, we'll be in the City of Big Shoulders.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Timothy Leary Doesn't Live Here Anymore
New blogger friends' experiences have gotten me to thinking...could I get my hands on a VW Westfalia and hit the road? Of course I could! Will I? Not bloody likely. Not yet, anyway. Gotta keep that health insurance for the heart bypass and cancer coverage, don't you know. But the time may not be too far off.
While taking a break today, I started looking at what it might cost to buy a "Westy" with pop-up top, stove, etc., etc. Used, of course. Well, they are highly sought after, I have learned, and therein lies the dilemma. Should I get the real thing, which would require me to crack open the safe of a large bank in a small town? Wouldn't a Subaru Forrester do the trick? Or a Honda Element? They're afforable, at least to some people. Sure, they would do! But not a Hummer. Isabelita would beat me to death with heavy carabiners and chocks, as well she should.
Anyway, I'm not going to buy any of those vehicles just yet. But I promise that after I finish my welding class this summer, I'll give more than passing thought to following brother Timothy Leary's admonitions...a little.
While taking a break today, I started looking at what it might cost to buy a "Westy" with pop-up top, stove, etc., etc. Used, of course. Well, they are highly sought after, I have learned, and therein lies the dilemma. Should I get the real thing, which would require me to crack open the safe of a large bank in a small town? Wouldn't a Subaru Forrester do the trick? Or a Honda Element? They're afforable, at least to some people. Sure, they would do! But not a Hummer. Isabelita would beat me to death with heavy carabiners and chocks, as well she should.
Anyway, I'm not going to buy any of those vehicles just yet. But I promise that after I finish my welding class this summer, I'll give more than passing thought to following brother Timothy Leary's admonitions...a little.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Only Monday
I experienced Monday today. During that experience, I realized again how much I want to spend time on various projects, such as:
There are more projects. But this is only Monday.
- building (but mostly living in) a place on our land in Falba;
- writing about memories and dreams that I dredge up out of my subconscious from time to time;
- writing the ultimate guide to taquerias in Texas;
- expunging the ugliness of certain association management experiences from my memory;
- learning whether my desire to create art is based purely on wishes or maybe, just maybe, on salvageable creativity and a little spark of skill;
- pretending to be William Least Heat Moon for just awhile, while I can still almost afford the gas;
- transforming my oft-spoken desire to "do good" into measurable action in ways that will please me and those I try to help (I'm not able to care for everyone...I have targets of my desire to do good); and
- proving how dangerous organized religion is, but how many of the tenets of religion are simply goodness and humanism cast in the opiate of the masses (which can be a good thing).
There are more projects. But this is only Monday.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Happily Deranged
I'm $1.98 poorer in cash, but much richer in music, now that I've downloaded two versions of Plastic Jesus, one by Ernie Marrs and the Marrs Family and the other by the Young Norwegians. Neither of them incorporate all the lyrics I've come across, but between the two of them is a nice mix. A couple of verses I especially like include this one, which finds its way onto the iTunes songs I bought:
When pedestrians try to cross
I let them know who's boss
I never blow my horn or give them warning
I ride all over town
Trying to run them down
And it's seldom that they live to see the morning
and this one, which never seems to make it to the recordings:
When I'm goin' fornicatin'
I got my ceramic Satan
Sinnin' on the dashboard of my Winnebago Motor Home
The women know I'm on the level
Thanks to the wild-eyed stoneware devil
Ridin' on the dashboard of my Winnebago Motor Home
Sneerin' from the dashboard of my Winnebago Motor Home
Leering from the dashboard of my van
I know, I'm deranged, but that's just the way I am.
I've accomplished quite alot this morning (and it's not even 11 o'clock), aside from buying music online. I've washed and dried a load of cloths; washed the dishes; showered, brushed my teeth and shaved; and learned all manner of good and bad news from around the world, thanks to my lifeline to the real world, the Internet.
Oh, not to forget the article I read (using an actual paper magazine) in Texas Observer about the demise and rebirth (at least temporarily) of Pig Stand #29 in San Antonio, Texas. You can ready the article online, too, by clicking here. But I would encourage you to subscribe, instead of just reading it online. If you're interested in a liberal view of Texas or simply want to see Texas become more liberal, it's money well spent.
It's only $32 for a year.
My wife and I are getting excited about our upcoming trip to Chicago. We'll leave Thursday morning and return late the following Tuesday afternoon. Five days wandering around our old stomping grounds of Chicago and environs. One of the first things we're going to do, though we've done it before, is to take a Chicago Architecture Foundation tour of downtown Chicago on a boat on the Chicago River. It's an incredibly interesting tour and allows glimpses of some truly remarkable architecture. We plan on having an old style Chicago hot dog at The Doggery, a tiny hot dog stand adjacent to one of the apartment buildings we lived in while we lived in downtown Chicago.
We're getting together with friends for dinner on Thursday night (don't know where) and then will spend a day or two with my wife's sister and her sister's boyfriend [both now from Boston](who will then zip off to Aurora to see the boyfriend's mother), and otherwise we'll just act like tourists.
Food is one of the things we're looking forward to in Chicago (it's not like we don't get any here, but...we like food). We'll go to a tapas place we used to frequent (still there after 18 years!) and will jump off the buses whenever we see a place we want to explore. We'll get transit system passes so we can use the trains and buses at will, without having to worry about change, money, etc. with each ride. That's one of the things I miss sooooo much about Chicago; the city has a wonderful public transportation system, something Dallas will never duplicate, no matter how hard it tries.
It's now AFTER 11 o'clock, so I better get in gear and finish washing clothes, do other odds & ends, and get set to blow this popstand!
When pedestrians try to cross
I let them know who's boss
I never blow my horn or give them warning
I ride all over town
Trying to run them down
And it's seldom that they live to see the morning
and this one, which never seems to make it to the recordings:
When I'm goin' fornicatin'
I got my ceramic Satan
Sinnin' on the dashboard of my Winnebago Motor Home
The women know I'm on the level
Thanks to the wild-eyed stoneware devil
Ridin' on the dashboard of my Winnebago Motor Home
Sneerin' from the dashboard of my Winnebago Motor Home
Leering from the dashboard of my van
I know, I'm deranged, but that's just the way I am.
I've accomplished quite alot this morning (and it's not even 11 o'clock), aside from buying music online. I've washed and dried a load of cloths; washed the dishes; showered, brushed my teeth and shaved; and learned all manner of good and bad news from around the world, thanks to my lifeline to the real world, the Internet.
Oh, not to forget the article I read (using an actual paper magazine) in Texas Observer about the demise and rebirth (at least temporarily) of Pig Stand #29 in San Antonio, Texas. You can ready the article online, too, by clicking here. But I would encourage you to subscribe, instead of just reading it online. If you're interested in a liberal view of Texas or simply want to see Texas become more liberal, it's money well spent.
It's only $32 for a year.
My wife and I are getting excited about our upcoming trip to Chicago. We'll leave Thursday morning and return late the following Tuesday afternoon. Five days wandering around our old stomping grounds of Chicago and environs. One of the first things we're going to do, though we've done it before, is to take a Chicago Architecture Foundation tour of downtown Chicago on a boat on the Chicago River. It's an incredibly interesting tour and allows glimpses of some truly remarkable architecture. We plan on having an old style Chicago hot dog at The Doggery, a tiny hot dog stand adjacent to one of the apartment buildings we lived in while we lived in downtown Chicago.
We're getting together with friends for dinner on Thursday night (don't know where) and then will spend a day or two with my wife's sister and her sister's boyfriend [both now from Boston](who will then zip off to Aurora to see the boyfriend's mother), and otherwise we'll just act like tourists.
Food is one of the things we're looking forward to in Chicago (it's not like we don't get any here, but...we like food). We'll go to a tapas place we used to frequent (still there after 18 years!) and will jump off the buses whenever we see a place we want to explore. We'll get transit system passes so we can use the trains and buses at will, without having to worry about change, money, etc. with each ride. That's one of the things I miss sooooo much about Chicago; the city has a wonderful public transportation system, something Dallas will never duplicate, no matter how hard it tries.
It's now AFTER 11 o'clock, so I better get in gear and finish washing clothes, do other odds & ends, and get set to blow this popstand!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Cottonwood
Today, after putting in our obligatory time in at the office, my favorite wife and I went to the Cottonwood Art Festival.
Aside from seeing some incredible art (and some miserable swill attempting to show skill and creativity but failing in both attempts), we heard music. Fishing for Comets was playing while we were near the stage. I liked them.
We bought a piece of yard art, a glass and metal dragonfly on a metal rod. We like dragonflies for some reason...I think it's because they are such beautiful creatures and so intriguing to watch as they skim the surface of ponds, dipping in ocassionally to drink or torip screaming tiny creatures from the surface of the water for a snack. Anyway, our little piece of yard art is now just outside the living room window, being company to another piece of dragonfly yard art we bought a year or so ago. One day I'll post a picture.
Aside from seeing some incredible art (and some miserable swill attempting to show skill and creativity but failing in both attempts), we heard music. Fishing for Comets was playing while we were near the stage. I liked them.
We bought a piece of yard art, a glass and metal dragonfly on a metal rod. We like dragonflies for some reason...I think it's because they are such beautiful creatures and so intriguing to watch as they skim the surface of ponds, dipping in ocassionally to drink or torip screaming tiny creatures from the surface of the water for a snack. Anyway, our little piece of yard art is now just outside the living room window, being company to another piece of dragonfly yard art we bought a year or so ago. One day I'll post a picture.
Cells from Hell
I have to go to my office today, but I'm not complaining. I have to go there to finish up a proposal for a prospective client. Since returning from my last client event, I've been too involved in things like getting my misplaced or stolen cell phone replaced to have bothered with prospective clients. But I promised that I would send the prospect my already-late proposal so he will have it no later than Saturday afternoon. That's today.
Cell phones are the work of the devil. But that work is not yet done. I'm convinced that the evolution of the devices (how'd you like that for weaving in a little anti-religious banter into a "religious" diatribe?) soon will allow cell-phone addicts to drive while simultaneously watching videos, playing video games, talking on three-way calls with their spouses, lovers, and athletic trainers, and making stock market trades. Freeway pileups of mammoth proportions will result, with hundreds if not thousands of deaths and maimings in a single such event.
Fortunately, traffic alerts will be beamed to all other cell-phonelosers users, allowing them to avoid current "working" tragedies so they can create their own.
I regularly berate people who use cell phones while driving. I can always tell the cars that are being driven by cell-phone addicts; they drift from lane to lane and, more typically than not, are being driven 10 miles per hour below the speed limit. Presumably, these drivers have decided a head-on crash at 50 miles per hour is much less annoying than one at 60 miles per hour.
But I digress. Back to my cell phone. I was in Houston. I last remember (and have a record of) using it at about 4:30 pm. And the next thing I knew, it was gone. The little belt holster where I keep it was empty. My staff and I looked for it high and low. Everywhere. We tried calling it, but it was shut off, as it instantly went to voice mail. (I've since confirmed that it was not used at all, at least not with my SIM card, after it disappeared.)
My unhappy experience with my cell phone made me realize, in the core of my being, that cell-phone dependence is an ugly, dirtly, disgusting business. I didn't even use mine that much (for speaking), but the access to email got to me. At least I tried to avoid driving and using my email at the same time, though.
Anyway, my old cell phone is gone. I was expecting to switch providers (which would have been a happy thing...I'm on T-Mobile, whose coverage area is restricted to 8-block areas in large cities, with a smattering of coverage areas in the country near large congregations of jersey cows). But I discovered after calling T-Mobile that I unwittingly had been conned into buying insurance coverage (which had a $110 deductible) for my Blackberry. And, of course, my contract doesn't expire until October.
So, yesterday a box arrived with my replacement phone. After only 2.75 hours, I was part-way back to having a semi-functioning Blackberry, absent all the phone numbers I had stored in my original and absent all the special settings I had painstakingly programmed since October 2006, when I bought the thing.
Maybe I'll figure out how to reprogram the think as I'm driving to the office today. Yeah, that's the ticket!
Cell phones are the work of the devil. But that work is not yet done. I'm convinced that the evolution of the devices (how'd you like that for weaving in a little anti-religious banter into a "religious" diatribe?) soon will allow cell-phone addicts to drive while simultaneously watching videos, playing video games, talking on three-way calls with their spouses, lovers, and athletic trainers, and making stock market trades. Freeway pileups of mammoth proportions will result, with hundreds if not thousands of deaths and maimings in a single such event.
Fortunately, traffic alerts will be beamed to all other cell-phone
I regularly berate people who use cell phones while driving. I can always tell the cars that are being driven by cell-phone addicts; they drift from lane to lane and, more typically than not, are being driven 10 miles per hour below the speed limit. Presumably, these drivers have decided a head-on crash at 50 miles per hour is much less annoying than one at 60 miles per hour.
But I digress. Back to my cell phone. I was in Houston. I last remember (and have a record of) using it at about 4:30 pm. And the next thing I knew, it was gone. The little belt holster where I keep it was empty. My staff and I looked for it high and low. Everywhere. We tried calling it, but it was shut off, as it instantly went to voice mail. (I've since confirmed that it was not used at all, at least not with my SIM card, after it disappeared.)
My unhappy experience with my cell phone made me realize, in the core of my being, that cell-phone dependence is an ugly, dirtly, disgusting business. I didn't even use mine that much (for speaking), but the access to email got to me. At least I tried to avoid driving and using my email at the same time, though.
Anyway, my old cell phone is gone. I was expecting to switch providers (which would have been a happy thing...I'm on T-Mobile, whose coverage area is restricted to 8-block areas in large cities, with a smattering of coverage areas in the country near large congregations of jersey cows). But I discovered after calling T-Mobile that I unwittingly had been conned into buying insurance coverage (which had a $110 deductible) for my Blackberry. And, of course, my contract doesn't expire until October.
So, yesterday a box arrived with my replacement phone. After only 2.75 hours, I was part-way back to having a semi-functioning Blackberry, absent all the phone numbers I had stored in my original and absent all the special settings I had painstakingly programmed since October 2006, when I bought the thing.
Maybe I'll figure out how to reprogram the think as I'm driving to the office today. Yeah, that's the ticket!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
It's Just as Weld...
Finally, after talking about it for I don't know how long, I've signed up for a class to learn welding. I've wanted to know how to weld for years. The first time I can remember trying to find a class was about 1992 or 1993.
Initially, I wanted to learn to weld to give me the wherewithal to at least try to create metal sculpture. Now, it has evolved into a desire to do that, but also to have some practical skills that I may one day put to use if I ever realize my dream of having a little place in the country, where I might need to build gates, fix broken tines for a tiller, or do other such "country" chores.
My class will be held every Sunday afternoon, beginning June 1, from 4-7 p.m. for eleven weeks. I figure I should be able to develop some practical skills after 33 hours of instruction. The course description reads like a novel, it's so exhaustively comprehensive: "This entry-level course focuses on oxy-acetylene and arc welding techniques for the craftsman." I'm glad they gave me the full story about what I'm going to experience in this program.
I really wish I knew someone else who had an interest in learning welding, too, but most people to whom I mention my interest, just in passing, think I've lost my mind. They equate welding with junk yards and they equate my interest in welding as the inevitable ode to my humble ancestry. Hrrummpph!
Initially, I wanted to learn to weld to give me the wherewithal to at least try to create metal sculpture. Now, it has evolved into a desire to do that, but also to have some practical skills that I may one day put to use if I ever realize my dream of having a little place in the country, where I might need to build gates, fix broken tines for a tiller, or do other such "country" chores.
My class will be held every Sunday afternoon, beginning June 1, from 4-7 p.m. for eleven weeks. I figure I should be able to develop some practical skills after 33 hours of instruction. The course description reads like a novel, it's so exhaustively comprehensive: "This entry-level course focuses on oxy-acetylene and arc welding techniques for the craftsman." I'm glad they gave me the full story about what I'm going to experience in this program.
I really wish I knew someone else who had an interest in learning welding, too, but most people to whom I mention my interest, just in passing, think I've lost my mind. They equate welding with junk yards and they equate my interest in welding as the inevitable ode to my humble ancestry. Hrrummpph!
Wind Versus Trees
In that contest, Wind won. We have a very large ash tree in our front yard. Last week's severe windstorm while I was out of town knocked a number of branches down and broke one very large limb that is hanging on but must be cut down. The branches above the break are withering away. The first bid we got was breathtakingly high, but I'm afraid we're not going to find many for less, at least not from people who know what they're doing. So, we'll hire them and have them trim the tree and one large live oak tree on the south side of the house.
Our trees are not nearly as badly damaged as hundreds and hundreds of others we've seen all over the area in the past few days. I hate to see the damage, but what can you do? I'm not strong enough to capture the wind and keep it in check. I used to be, though. Well, maybe I'm lying to you.
Our trees are not nearly as badly damaged as hundreds and hundreds of others we've seen all over the area in the past few days. I hate to see the damage, but what can you do? I'm not strong enough to capture the wind and keep it in check. I used to be, though. Well, maybe I'm lying to you.