I really like seafood. Fish, shrimp, oysters, mussels, conchs, clams, lobsters, squid, octopus, abalone...almost everything from the sea, with a few notable exceptions (e.g., sea urchin...I haven't yet developed a taste for it). Unfortunately for me, I live quite a distance from sources of super-fresh seafood, so when I eat it, it's usually not as good as it could be if it were fresh.
Based solely on my own love of seafood, I think there is a place in the marketplace for a REAL seafood restaurant. Not a place that serves a few items, all fried or all baked, but a place that caters to virtually every seafood lover's tastes...a place diners could get exceptionally good sushi, fabulous fried oysters, wonderful clams, conch fritters, whole lobsters, cedar-grilled salmon, smoked halibut, squid salads, fried tilapia, calamari, mussels steamed in wine, fried catfish, shrimp and octopus cocktails...you get the idea. There is probably just such a place, but I have not been there. I've been to some pretty good places for seafood, but nothing that I would consider the ultimate seafood fantasy restaurant. The place I have in mind would be casual, would be restricted to adult diners over 25 years of age, and would encourage 2-3 hour lunches and 3-5 hour dinners. It would have a superior bar and and outstanding wine list, with everything priced under $20 per bottle...none of this 100% profit margin that most places get.
Naturally, this restaurant, whereever it is located, would be in constant receipt of fresh seafood from around the world. Anything from water more than 25 miles away would be shipped to the place live in containers equipped to mimic the appropriate natural environment...and would be custom-killed only when ordered. I want fresh stuff. (There are times I would like my sources of beef and lamb kept similarly 'ready for slaughter,' but I am developing a taste for dry-aged beef...)
Speaking of seafood, my wife and I are having tortilla encrusted baked tilapia tonight...frozen stuff that we bought from, of all places, Omaha Steaks. We've had it before and it's really very good. But it doesn't compare with the stuff that comes out of the seafood restaurant of my imagination.
Speaking of my imagination, my fried Gunnar came by yesterday...he had just returned from an abalone expedition off the coast of Chile and he was just loaded with abalone! He knew how much I loved it and that I had not had it since my wife's former brother-in-law had given us some he got diving off the California coast some twenty years ago. Well, Gunnar brought us almost 40 pounds of fresh abalone! I was stunned! Just as I was about to tell him I would gladly cover his roundtrip airfare to Santiago to show my appreciation, I realized that I do not know anyone named Gunnar and I cannot afford round-trip airfare to Santiago...my imagination had run away with me again!
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Civil Liberties
The death of Civil Liberties in the United States was not unexpected, but it was nonetheless a traumatic event, especially for advocates who had devoted their resources, their lives, and their spirits to preserving Civil Liberties.
On announcing the death of Civil Liberties, U.S. President George Bush said,
On announcing the death of Civil Liberties, U.S. President George Bush said,
"All of us in this wonderful, God-fearing great nation appreciate the contributions that Civil Liberties made to this country, but we are a Christian nation and we understand when our Creator calls us home. She had a long and dramatic impact on our land, but we have changed as a nation. The time has come for us to move to the next level. Civil Liberties will be long remembered, but I am confident our government will honor her memory with the appointment of a new Fascist State to fill the void. May God Bless America and this Administration."
Remember, Caribbism Allows Human Sacrifice!
The rage being unleashed throughout the Muslim world is probably a reaction, in part, to much more than the Danish cartoons. The cartoons merely present opportunities for the Muslim world to identify a target of its anger and to ventilate a rage that has been growing steadily for years. This eruption of rage is directed, in a broader sense, at all the injustices inflicted by the Western world againt Muslims and Islam. Some of the media, including media I usually find credible and rational, apparently think there is something valid about this outpouring of Muslim rage. Our own beliefs in freedom of speech, it seems, is trumped by our obligation not to offend.
While I think I understand the genesis of the rage, I still think it is bullshit, pure and simple. Muslims are using this insignificant incident to justify irrational behavior. One Arabic newspaper decided that the right way to respond to what it called an inexcusable attack on Islam with a contest for the best cartoons mocking the holocaust. Now THAT's an adult, rational thing to do: "Your actions were barbaric and inhuman, so we are going to respond with actions that are barbaric and inhuman." The imams who have been busily spreading the hatred, stirring emotions, and calling on Muslims everyone to cut the heads off of Danes are not just religious zealots, they are murderous bastards whose very existence argues convincingly for preemptive execution. Don't these imbeciles understand that everything they are doing is playing into the hands of George Bush and his Stalinist henchmen? If they want a holy war, they're certainly on the right track.
This entire mess argues in favor of the notion that religion, particularly organized religion, is simply a form of severe psychosis. And it's not the endearing neurotic kind...it's the dangerous, fundamentally immoral, corrupt and viscious kind.
I watch this play out and wonder whether humankind is worth trying to save. All we seem to be able to do is wreck the planet, cause widespread terror and suffering, and then fight to the death about whose imaginary super-being is best.
Despite my despair over the future of the planet and the human race, I do think the religious zealotry can be funny. All of the bizzare practices and beliefs of religions and cults and such make me laugh.
My New Religion: Caribbism
Caribbism is based on my belief that all of mankind sprang from the dream of an ancient caribou that had the power to create beings simply by dreaming them. In one dream, the caribou saw a being with light skin and very little body hair emerge from a river. The being started making noises with its mouth and soon other beings came running. Then, another being emerged from the water; this one had dark skin and a bit more body hair...and the hair was curly. After the dream, we're not quite sure what happened, but what is clear is that once the animal had the dream, it created these creatures who, as we all now know, are people of all colors and sizes and with various types of hair.
Since we owe our very existence to that caribou, we now worship it. And, as we know, the caribou lives on in the skies and the land and the air. It has magical powers and, if we chose not to worship it, the caribou would initiate a dream recall, which as we know would result in the human race's return to pre-existence. So, we worship the caribou. And, as we all know, the caribou has a name, but we cannot say that name, cannot even think it, and cannot allow it to be written, or a huge herd of caribou would drop down from the skies and would run rough-shod over every man, woman, and child on this planet.
Over the millennia since the caribou had its dream, each bristle of its fur has become a pen and has written a billion words. These words have collectively become the Book of Caribou, in which the wisdom of the caribou is passed to humans and which guide our every belief. One of the rules of the Book of Caribou, not surprisingly, instructs us that we must not eat caribou meat except on Thursdays. We have all spoken to the caribou whose name we cannot even think and we know why it is that eating caribou meat is OK on Thursdays, but we cannot exchange that information among ourselves or we will bring a plague upon us and we will live for all eternity in an earthen tub filled with sharp-toothed, alcohol-spewing maggots. So, you and I know why it's OK to eat caribou on Thursdays, but we can't talk about it.
As luck would have it, the sort of anonymous caribou made an announcement earlier this week that I have been named his one and only channeler on earth. So, I am now in the position of informing the rest of you of new rules. Almost immediately upon informing me of my new position the caribou told me he was angry, very angry, about all these other religions. He told me that they were truly a sin against his truth. He told me to tell you that it's time to put an end to all of their lies. So, here's the deal: you, each and every one of you, are to take up arms against the false religions of the world, including all forms of Protestantism, Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, etc., etc. Yep, take up arms against them. We are to de-life their devotees (we can no longer use the "k" word, thanks to a new caribou rule), using axes, knives, poisons, bricks, baseball bats, rifles, pistols, nails, hammers, automobiles, razor blades, etc., etc., etc. until there are none left but us, the Caribs. Since I'm the new guy in charge, you'll need to wait for further instructions from me. In the meantime, remember, no more lottery tickets for those of you in Washington, DC and Zagreb, thanks to the caribou's most recent proclamations.
Finally, remember that you are free to sacrifice 'pro-life' protesters, provided you ensure that their carcasses are used to feed homeless animals.
It's too bad that religions take themselves so seriously...
While I think I understand the genesis of the rage, I still think it is bullshit, pure and simple. Muslims are using this insignificant incident to justify irrational behavior. One Arabic newspaper decided that the right way to respond to what it called an inexcusable attack on Islam with a contest for the best cartoons mocking the holocaust. Now THAT's an adult, rational thing to do: "Your actions were barbaric and inhuman, so we are going to respond with actions that are barbaric and inhuman." The imams who have been busily spreading the hatred, stirring emotions, and calling on Muslims everyone to cut the heads off of Danes are not just religious zealots, they are murderous bastards whose very existence argues convincingly for preemptive execution. Don't these imbeciles understand that everything they are doing is playing into the hands of George Bush and his Stalinist henchmen? If they want a holy war, they're certainly on the right track.
This entire mess argues in favor of the notion that religion, particularly organized religion, is simply a form of severe psychosis. And it's not the endearing neurotic kind...it's the dangerous, fundamentally immoral, corrupt and viscious kind.
I watch this play out and wonder whether humankind is worth trying to save. All we seem to be able to do is wreck the planet, cause widespread terror and suffering, and then fight to the death about whose imaginary super-being is best.
Despite my despair over the future of the planet and the human race, I do think the religious zealotry can be funny. All of the bizzare practices and beliefs of religions and cults and such make me laugh.
- A religion that considers the very idea of an image of its highest prophet to be sacreligious...cartoons that are the work of a deep evil...what a hoot!
- People standing in line just so a guy who some people think has some pipeline to God can put ashes on their foreheads...this is more than a little odd.
I've started thinking it would be fun to create a religion of my own and institute some rules and practices to guide it.
My New Religion: Caribbism
Caribbism is based on my belief that all of mankind sprang from the dream of an ancient caribou that had the power to create beings simply by dreaming them. In one dream, the caribou saw a being with light skin and very little body hair emerge from a river. The being started making noises with its mouth and soon other beings came running. Then, another being emerged from the water; this one had dark skin and a bit more body hair...and the hair was curly. After the dream, we're not quite sure what happened, but what is clear is that once the animal had the dream, it created these creatures who, as we all now know, are people of all colors and sizes and with various types of hair.
Since we owe our very existence to that caribou, we now worship it. And, as we know, the caribou lives on in the skies and the land and the air. It has magical powers and, if we chose not to worship it, the caribou would initiate a dream recall, which as we know would result in the human race's return to pre-existence. So, we worship the caribou. And, as we all know, the caribou has a name, but we cannot say that name, cannot even think it, and cannot allow it to be written, or a huge herd of caribou would drop down from the skies and would run rough-shod over every man, woman, and child on this planet.
Over the millennia since the caribou had its dream, each bristle of its fur has become a pen and has written a billion words. These words have collectively become the Book of Caribou, in which the wisdom of the caribou is passed to humans and which guide our every belief. One of the rules of the Book of Caribou, not surprisingly, instructs us that we must not eat caribou meat except on Thursdays. We have all spoken to the caribou whose name we cannot even think and we know why it is that eating caribou meat is OK on Thursdays, but we cannot exchange that information among ourselves or we will bring a plague upon us and we will live for all eternity in an earthen tub filled with sharp-toothed, alcohol-spewing maggots. So, you and I know why it's OK to eat caribou on Thursdays, but we can't talk about it.
As luck would have it, the sort of anonymous caribou made an announcement earlier this week that I have been named his one and only channeler on earth. So, I am now in the position of informing the rest of you of new rules. Almost immediately upon informing me of my new position the caribou told me he was angry, very angry, about all these other religions. He told me that they were truly a sin against his truth. He told me to tell you that it's time to put an end to all of their lies. So, here's the deal: you, each and every one of you, are to take up arms against the false religions of the world, including all forms of Protestantism, Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, etc., etc. Yep, take up arms against them. We are to de-life their devotees (we can no longer use the "k" word, thanks to a new caribou rule), using axes, knives, poisons, bricks, baseball bats, rifles, pistols, nails, hammers, automobiles, razor blades, etc., etc., etc. until there are none left but us, the Caribs. Since I'm the new guy in charge, you'll need to wait for further instructions from me. In the meantime, remember, no more lottery tickets for those of you in Washington, DC and Zagreb, thanks to the caribou's most recent proclamations.
Finally, remember that you are free to sacrifice 'pro-life' protesters, provided you ensure that their carcasses are used to feed homeless animals.
It's too bad that religions take themselves so seriously...
Monday, February 6, 2006
February 6, 2006
It's odd using the date as the title for a blog post...but I had nothing else conveniently located at the top of my mind. This day was long. Lots of work to do at the office, more than I should face right off the bat on a Monday. Tonight, a client meeting that went 1/2 hour late, preventing me from watching 24 during its original broadcast...fortunately my wife taped it for me. I'm too tired and too sore in my neck and shoulders to write, so this shall constitute my entire message to myself tonight.
Sunday, February 5, 2006
Collateral...Not So Good!
My wife and I watched Collateral this evening... we have no interest in the Super Bowl.
I'm sorry to say probably would have enjoyed the Super Bowl more...sometimes, movies just do not live up to expectations!
I'm sorry to say probably would have enjoyed the Super Bowl more...sometimes, movies just do not live up to expectations!
Lottery
I decided to delete a rant I posted last night about religion...under the Bush administration, it could probably have been treated as sufficient to warrant my lifelong imprisonment. I've said enough about religion lately...on to another topic that's less sensitive.
Last night, I bought a ticket for the Texas lottery. I haven't checked to see if I won, because I'm relatively sure that, if a winning number was selected, my number is not the winner. Why? Just a hunch...the odds are against me. So, why spend one dollar on something that is so heavily stacked against me? Good question. It's irrational...when the statistics are so very, very, very high against me getting the winning number, it's simply a waste of money to buy a ticket. But the fact that I bought a ticket says something...it says I had an extra dollar to spend on an extravagance. It says that I, who frequently rail against people who use their wealth strictly for their own benefit and who ignore the poor, am one of those people who talk out of both sides of their mouth. But it may be that it's OK, because I do donate money to good causes...like the Red Cross and AmeriCares and such. Probably not enough, but some. A stark measure of how much stock I put in helping the poor would come if I did win the $62 million lottery. I'm guessing...hoping...that I would direct quite alot of the winnings to helping people who need it. I'm certain I would almost immediately retire...that much I know.
This is one of those mornings that tell me, "don't try to write, you'll only produce garbage and will be annoyed by it," so I am going to heed the morning's message and stop this!
Last night, I bought a ticket for the Texas lottery. I haven't checked to see if I won, because I'm relatively sure that, if a winning number was selected, my number is not the winner. Why? Just a hunch...the odds are against me. So, why spend one dollar on something that is so heavily stacked against me? Good question. It's irrational...when the statistics are so very, very, very high against me getting the winning number, it's simply a waste of money to buy a ticket. But the fact that I bought a ticket says something...it says I had an extra dollar to spend on an extravagance. It says that I, who frequently rail against people who use their wealth strictly for their own benefit and who ignore the poor, am one of those people who talk out of both sides of their mouth. But it may be that it's OK, because I do donate money to good causes...like the Red Cross and AmeriCares and such. Probably not enough, but some. A stark measure of how much stock I put in helping the poor would come if I did win the $62 million lottery. I'm guessing...hoping...that I would direct quite alot of the winnings to helping people who need it. I'm certain I would almost immediately retire...that much I know.
This is one of those mornings that tell me, "don't try to write, you'll only produce garbage and will be annoyed by it," so I am going to heed the morning's message and stop this!
Saturday, February 4, 2006
SV, Continued
The Satanic Nurses, Part II
If Gwynn would have thought about her comment before she made it, she would have phrased it differently. That lapse was so unlike her. Bitesmiler was one who planned everything; she considered every utterance and every tilt of her head as vitally important to her message and her image. It wasn’t until much later that she would look back and ponder what was responsible for her poor choice of words.
When Brett Ledderer saw the CNN Headline News segment, he smiled at Bitesmiler’s comment. “You’ve shafted the patients, bitch,” he said aloud, though no one was there to hear, “and now you’re asking that your members get the same treatment! Happy to oblige!” Ledderer, CEO of one of the largest health care systems in the U.S., Benifica Medical, had done battle with Bitesmiler on many occasions and he always found the ultimate, obligatory handshake and smile for the media upon reaching a compromise to be repugnant. Benifica, which owned and operated hospitals and emergency treatment centers in 40 states, had been forced to redirect more than $7 billion away from direct patient care since Bitesmiler began attacking the company’s practices and use it, instead, for increased salaries and benefits for nurses and as a reserve fund to fight the increasing number of malpractice suits brought against the company. Ledderer hated Bitesmiler. If he could have been assured that he would never have been caught, he would have taken her out in his yacht, drowned her, and dumped her concrete-weighted body in the Atlantic. But Ledderer was not a bad man, not a mean-spirited man. He was, though, a man who, when pushed hard enough, reacted badly.
Brett Ledderer, despite his position and his wealth, had a self-deprecating sense of humor that bordered on the absurd. During a speech to the Health Care Executives New Century Forum, he described his efforts to hire a new Executive Vice President for Medical Research. “I wooed Dr. Regarola for weeks, visiting his office several times to try to get a sense of the man, what he wanted, and how Benifica could help him achieve his vision. I offered him the position and waited for his response. Tragically, he was offered a similar position with a competitor, which he accepted and went on to initiate a new medical protocol which has saved at least 10,000 lives to date.”
If Gwynn would have thought about her comment before she made it, she would have phrased it differently. That lapse was so unlike her. Bitesmiler was one who planned everything; she considered every utterance and every tilt of her head as vitally important to her message and her image. It wasn’t until much later that she would look back and ponder what was responsible for her poor choice of words.
When Brett Ledderer saw the CNN Headline News segment, he smiled at Bitesmiler’s comment. “You’ve shafted the patients, bitch,” he said aloud, though no one was there to hear, “and now you’re asking that your members get the same treatment! Happy to oblige!” Ledderer, CEO of one of the largest health care systems in the U.S., Benifica Medical, had done battle with Bitesmiler on many occasions and he always found the ultimate, obligatory handshake and smile for the media upon reaching a compromise to be repugnant. Benifica, which owned and operated hospitals and emergency treatment centers in 40 states, had been forced to redirect more than $7 billion away from direct patient care since Bitesmiler began attacking the company’s practices and use it, instead, for increased salaries and benefits for nurses and as a reserve fund to fight the increasing number of malpractice suits brought against the company. Ledderer hated Bitesmiler. If he could have been assured that he would never have been caught, he would have taken her out in his yacht, drowned her, and dumped her concrete-weighted body in the Atlantic. But Ledderer was not a bad man, not a mean-spirited man. He was, though, a man who, when pushed hard enough, reacted badly.
Brett Ledderer, despite his position and his wealth, had a self-deprecating sense of humor that bordered on the absurd. During a speech to the Health Care Executives New Century Forum, he described his efforts to hire a new Executive Vice President for Medical Research. “I wooed Dr. Regarola for weeks, visiting his office several times to try to get a sense of the man, what he wanted, and how Benifica could help him achieve his vision. I offered him the position and waited for his response. Tragically, he was offered a similar position with a competitor, which he accepted and went on to initiate a new medical protocol which has saved at least 10,000 lives to date.”