The Billboard

The (Liberal) Truth

2011-07-30T00:56:00.000-07:00

I'm sick of it. Sick and tired of it.

Tired of being lumped in as the "liberal media."

Enough. No more.

I'm sick of being distrusted. I'm sick of people imposing unnecessary rules to protect others from the big, bad reporters out there. I'm sick of being blamed for exposing something that many people would have rather not known about, being blissfully unaware of the problems that surround them.

Here's the way I see it: We're the media. Our political beliefs are no one's business but our own.

The problem becomes that we reporters and journalists end up being lumped in with commentators and interviewers. People like Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly. Neither is a true "journalist" in the sense that they're going out and reporting on the news. They are interviewers, and each has his own agenda that their networks encourage.

But for the rest of us, the so-called "ink stained wretches" who still work on the ground, doing the reporting, there is no agenda. We're not allowed to have one.

Most newspapers have ethical guidelines that its reporters must adhere to. Everything from not signing political petitions to not publicly supporting a political candidate to watching what and how you say things in social media. Me writing this could be considered a breach ... if I were still working full-time for a media company.

The other thing that people always accuse journalists of is that we're out to get people. Trust me, if we were, we likely would find reason to be "out to get" them. Most of the people who end up being portrayed negatively in the news did something on their own to get themselves there. No one was out to get Bernie Madoff, he got himself in trouble all by his lonesome. And no one in the legitimate media was hoping that starlets like Lindsey Lohan go nuts or end up in jail (though, yeah, we do have our laughs about it).

In fact, if you want to see the framework of the ethical code most of us live under, check out the Society of Professional Journalists' code of ethics.

Oh, but what of the editorial pages, you may ask? What about them? None of the grunts whose names appear on top of the stories write them. And even if we did, they would be dictated by a faceless editorial board (in most cases) that is picked to reflect either the publisher/company's point of view (such as the OC Register's Libertarian influences, the Wall St. Journal's Conservative or the NY Times' Liberal). Any bias that most newspapers display are on those pages ... not on the news pages.

Sigh, ya, I'm a little upset while writing this. I try not to write upset, but sometimes it helps to get the feelings out. And yeah, there was an incident that spurred it on, but I'm not going to get into it, because the people who caused aren't worth the trouble.

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. Hope you're checking out my blogs over at Loma Linda Patch as well. This one didn't seem to fit in what I write about over there. But I promise to keep going in both places as the muse hits me.

Commercial Insanity

2011-07-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

So, we all watch too much TV.

Don't lie. You know you do.

And as a part of watching TV, you have to sit through commercials. Some work, some don't and sometimes you end up laughing at it ... and not because it was funny.

For example, there's a commercial airing right now behind me for a local career college. Those are a staple of the cable afternoon. But this one just made me scratch my head.

It's of a woman and her daughter in their kitchen. The mom explains that her daughter is her hero.

Why?

Because, it turns out, her daughter didn't get her high school diploma, but this college was helping turn her get on a path to a career.

Whaaaaaa?

Why the hell doesn't your daughter have a high school diploma? And why is she your hero for not having one?

I know that the implication is that you're proud of her for not windig up making her money dancing around a pole for a living ... but hero? C'mon.

I'd go on a long tirade about how this commercial is destroying America, and our future ... OK, yeah, I'm going to.

You see, has it gotten to that point in American households? Do some parents today work so hard at not being just like their parents, that it was OK to celebrate her not having a high school diploma?

This is where I curse the day that it became cheap enough for sports leagues to start handing out medals to every kid who played. You shouldn't get a medal just for showing up.

"It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game" is true in its most honest sense. You always should be trying your best at whatever you do. But by giving out medals to everyone, that whole doesn't matter part gets amplified.

We should be striving to win every day. Whether its in the sports arenas or classrooms, the fact that we stopped keeping score, started saying everyone wins and stopped pushing that winning attitude is not helping our cause as a nation. Instead of trying to find ways to win as a team, we're working together as two enemies who were forced to be a tag team during a WWE show. It's a doomed enterprise.

Watching Little League games the last week, two thoughts immediately came to me along these lines. First was, "God, I thought we were better than this, even at this age."

The second was, where was the competitive fire. I'm not expecting a kid to throw his glove down to the ground like Tanner from "The Bad News Bears," but something. Some sort of team spirit. Some sort of in the trenches battling for a common goal.

Of course, so much has been taken away from the kids today. No more on-deck circles. No more infield chatter ("Hey, batter" was ruled to be taunting, and no one thinks to talk to each other). Pitch counts that interrupt the flow of the game (we always had weekly inning limits).

They're just kids, I know. And no one wants the abuses of the past from overzealous parents -- I've seen plenty of them in action.

But we should be expecting more from our children than "she turned her life around after not getting her diploma, so she's my hero."

Support is one thing. Outright delusion is another.

From the mouths of actors

2011-06-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

"Don't think; it can only hurt the ball club."
- Crash Davis (Kevin Costner), "Bull Durham" (1988)

It's funny how many things in life boil down to that one line from a movie about baseball.
We've spent the last few weeks watching the Shania Twain reality show on The Oprah's network, and it's amazing how, in the end, a lot of the problems she was facing in her journey of self-discovery were in her head.
Every roadblock she faced trying to get back into singing. Every time she balked at stepping up to a microphone to record. All in her head.
Now, I'm not going to say that all of us don't get that mental block in our head that keeps us from doing things. I have had times (and still do) where my brain gets in the way of things that should come pretty natually.
But this is not an entry about that.
It's about the quote on the top. And all the other bon mots of advice we've received and adopted from TV and the movies through the years.
And there are a few that seem more and more relevant these days.

"Fame is fleeting..."
"But the Internet is forever."
-- Phineas Flynn and step-brother Ferb Fletcher, "Phineas and Ferb" on Disney Channel (2008)

Leave it to one of my son's favorite shows to provide the lesson that Congressman Anthony Weiner has been learning the hard (*snicker*) way these last couple of weeks.
You can think that you've hidden stuff away, deleted files or erased accounts, but somewhere, squirreled away, is a copy of what you -- or others -- posted.
Trust me on this one. You wouldn't be able to guess the number of requests per month we'd have from people wanting us to take down or delete stories that they were mentioned in. Apparently that time they said something or arrested (but never charged or convicted) was showing up in Internet searches by friends, family and potential employers.
The kicker for all these people was that most of the stories weren't even accessible on our site or some of our servers to take down. They were cached versions by Google.
So, sometime down the road, don't be surprised when someone finds that picture you posted (that one you thought you set to private) and uses it against you.

"Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god, you say 'YES!' "
-- Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), "Ghost Busters" (1984)

Now it's one thing to say you're a god. It's entirely another to think it.
And maybe I'm misconstruing LeBron James' words, but it certainly seemed like he was saying he was better than the rest of us in his comments after his Miami Heat were beaten for the NBA championship by the Dallas Mavericks. When asked whether it bothered him that so many fans seemed to be rooting against him, he said (according to Yahoo Sports):

"Absolutely not. Because at the end of the day, all the people that was rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I'm going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that."

Good for you LeBron! Way to infuriate people who were on the fence about you and your ego.
You're a talented athlete being paid millions to play a game in front of the same people with personal problems you were talking about. Nothing more.
When your playing days are over, you're going to find yourself without the groupies and entourage to tell you how good you are and cater to your every whim. So I hope that your family is happy with a grump who still hasn't won a title, and is falling farther behind in his chase of names such as Jordan, Johnson and Bryant.

"I'm going to give you a little advice. There's a force in the universe that makes things happen. And all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking, let things happen, and be the ball."
-- Ty Webb (Chevy Chase), "Caddyshack" (1980)

"Be the ball." What person playing golf (miniature or full-sized) hasn't uttered that phrase one or a thousand times, followed by the familiar "na-na-na-nahhhhh."
It's a great Zen philosophy. But it's not so great of an idea when you're a public figure who one day may run for president.
Sarah Palin's interpretation of Paul Revere's ride may have been an off-the-cuff faux paus, as Jon Stewart rightly pointed out, but when she later defended herself on Fox News ... wow.
At a certain point, this folksy, gee whiz personality she portrays in public is going to be her undoing. When you can't get simple facts right and then talk down to the people who question you about them, well, that's not being a politician. That's being the Church Lady.
And as much as I love Dana Carvey, no one's about to elect him to an office.
Let's hope this little vacation Caribou Barbie went on with her family is the last we have to hear about her in the mainstream media for a while. And certainly not announcing a run for president.

It's the End of the World and I Feel Fine

2011-06-11T02:02:00.000-07:00

So, yeah. I'm unemployed.
And ya know what? For now, it's not so bad.
I know that eventually I'll get tired of being around the house all the time and I'll have to get to work at finding work.
But for now ... I feel almost zen.
Meanwhile, from many of the people around me, I get the feeling that the world should be falling apart.
And maybe it is. But I haven't seen it yet.
A lot of it was in the timing. I got the news on the Wednesday after Memorial Day -- my work week's Monday. And then, I was paid for the last two days of the normal work week. So it was a few days of a paid vacation.
Vacation. Something we haven't taken in earnest for two years, since our trip to Costa Rica. Sure, we've taken days here and there. I scheduled a few Friday through Sunday weekends off, but those were all staycations. Mostly just chances for us to go to hockey games, spend time as a family.
Family. My poor son has had to put with daddy leaving for work at nights and on weekends. Coming to his office to have dinner, then having to leave daddy again after that. He's been happy to have both parents around for the last few days.
So it's been an OK week and a half being out of work.
Honestly, with the way the industry has been, it was getting to the point where it was a matter of when, and not if, there would be more layoffs in my office. Hell, in most newspaper offices. Those of us who were still employed were blessed to have lasted as long as we did.
Blessed, but put upon. The bleeding in newsrooms has just put the onus of continuing levels of coverage on less people. The day I was let go, there was no one available to work the rest of the night. The main stories remained the same as they were at 2:30. Day-old news lingered until the next morning and the regularly scheduled crew came in and changed it.
And since? Where there were three of us to spread the heavy lifting, now there are two. That means both of them had their lives turned upside down as they were thrown into new schedules, having to work weekends and juggle their future plans (one of them already has tickets to this year's Comic-Con). Oh, and then there's the new system they're installing...
The other factor in all this is that I haven't just been sitting here on my ass writing new blogs and playing games on Facebook. I've been working a bit, too.
Almost immediately, my name started appearing on the news site my wife runs, Loma Linda Patch. I couldn't help her before, because it would be helping a competing news agency. But now that I'm free, I've been jumping in and taking photos for her (three graduations so far, the fourth is this weekend) and writing briefs and turning news releases into small stories to help bolster her coverage.
It's actually been a little freeing, since I hadn't really done much the last couple of years but chase code and edit other's work. Actually contributing items that are published has been nice. I haven't gotten back to the point where I'm actually doing any reporting ... yet. But that's going to come back to me eventually. Been chained to a desk for a long while.
And the best part, I'm not necessarily doing it for free. She has a budget to pay freelancers, so I'm getting a little pin money here and there. Not enough that I'm going to get rich, or enough that it'll replace my full-time salary. But enough that it'll help stem some of the tide.
Don't get me wrong. This is not all sunshine and roses. It's disappointing that it happened. And I'm very grateful for all the support I've received over the last week-plus. It's nice to know people are out there looking out for me and my family.
But maybe, just maybe, this was the right thing at the right time. The proverbial push off the perch of complacency. It's time to get out and find something new. Maybe even outside of journalism all together. Maybe even going back to school and learning new skills.
Or maybe I'm just in complete denial.
I hope not. I'm looking forward to this next chapter, whatever it may bring. And hopefully, the final chapter will read "and they all lived happily ever after."

Stale and Easy

2011-06-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

While we're on the topic of shopping...
It's been difficult driving through Loma Linda the last few years. Especially the corner of Mountain View and Redlands.
Seeing that Fresh and Easy sitting empty has been pure torture.
I had been following the news of their opening across the region with some anticipation. I wanted to see what this new grocery store model would bring. And it was exciting to finally check out the store that opened near our previous home -- two weeks before we moved.
Instantly, though, I knew I would want to continue doing at least some of my shopping there. And luckily, our daily travels took us past that store in Moreno Valley. It was the perfect spot to stop and get something to heat up that day at work, or pick up for cooking once at home.
Until it closed.
But the promise of one opening in Loma Linda was even better. I could go and do a full shopping trip if I wanted, and I wouldn't have to worry about making the long drive through Reche Canyon to get my groceries home.
Instead, it sits empty. With its lights on at night. Which, by the way, I understand the reasons why they are (discouraging vandals, break-ins, etc.), but doesn't that complete against their ads of being environmentally friendly?
And the worst part, for me, is that Loma Linda is the perfect fit for the brand. Packaged meals without preservatives. A wide selection of items that are sugar, gluten and fat free.
Instead, it sits there. Taunting me. Taunting us. Taunting the city, with its potential of tax dollars.

Going to Extreme

2011-06-07T16:51:00.000-07:00

So, one of the things about being home more is seeing more of what's on the tube.
And one of the newest crazy documentary-style reality shows is "Extreme Couponing" on TLC.
The show started as a one-off, pilot type documentary. And the buzz (and ratings) it earned has led to a full-time series that they are striking at while the iron's hot.
If you haven't seen or heard about the show, it follows two families per half hour episode and how they've turned couponing into a sport. They clip and cut and organize and research to the point of big binders and spreadsheets on their iPads.
The whole point is pretty obvious: Save as much money as possible when shopping. And as the title of the show implies, these people save big time - as much as 99 percent of their grocery bill. For example, I think in one case a woman bought $500 worth of groceries for 1 cent.
Sounds great, doesn't it? We all love to save money, and more power to you for doing the work it takes. And it's a job for most of these people, taking up to 30 hours a week to prepare for a shopping trip.
You also get to see these people's "stash." Entire rooms (basements, garages) full of their purchases. Shelves and shelves of the stuff. One family had its items stashed around the house, under kids beds and the like.
Which begs the question: How much of this stuff do you really need?
The way these people work the system is by buying lots and lots of items while they are on sale with their coupons. Twenty bottles of mustard. Fifty small boxes of instant potatoes (because the family sized ones wouldn't work with the coupon/sale). One woman took an entire wire basket of more than 100 boxes of Excedrin and poured it in her basket (because it was buy one, get one free and she had lots of coupons).
Which is where the program gets a little disingenuous. Only on rare occasions do any of these "extreme couponers" have the following items in their cart: bread, milk, fresh fruits or vegetables or proteins.
So basically, these people are using boxed, prepared items to feed their families. And they wonder why there's a obesity problem in this country (like I have room to talk).
Watching the woman buying the boxes and boxes of the instant potatoes was the one that struck me. First off, who needs to eat that many potatoes -- especially dried ones? And second, wouldn't it have been just as cost effective to have bought a bag from the produce department, take the time to peel the potatoes (which I loved to do as a kid -- get them in the kitchen), cut them up, boil them and mash them? Not only would they taste better, but they'd be better for you. And you'd have the opportunity to get your children involved in the cooking process.
And what about the "staples"? It's a pretty well known fact that if you want to save money on certain items, you buy them and prepare them yourselves.
For example, our local market had chicken breasts on sale. You got four breasts per package, which worked out to about $5. Right next to those packages was the whole fryer chicken, which was priced anywhere from 25 to 75 cents less. All you have to do is your own cutting. Yep, convenience costs you.
Then there's the whole hoarding aspect about it that bothers me. The woman who bought all the Excedrin has enough items in her house that she invites other family members to come over and "shop" from her stash.
A couple of the people featured get passes from me, though. One was donating his groceries to a food bank that helps military families. The other was only shopping to feed a party.
Oh, and how do they get all these coupons? They get them from friends, relatives, online, writing the companies, club cards and the newspaper inserts. They don't necessarily buy the newspapers to get the coupons, but they dig in trash/recycling cans (don't judge, I do that in my apartment complex mail room for fast food ones). Or, some of them even go to the newspaper and ask for extras.
That struck a nerve. I couldn't get a weekend paper inside my own office. And certainly not one with coupons or ads in it. I didn't get one delivered to me for free. We had to pay for home delivery -- and did for a while. But every Sunday, my paper would be stolen for the ads before we could get out to it. How do I know it was stolen for the ads? Because no one was lifting the paper from our driveway the rest of the week.
So, now like many of the people featured in the program, will I become an "extreme couponer"? Not likely. We certainly will be watching our budget and hitting the sales.
But there definitely not the room in our place for that many groceries. I mean, honestly, if I'm ever at the point I need more than two bottles of mustard at a time -- one yellow and one dijon or brown -- then I better be having one hell of a party.

Grads Just Wanna Have Fun

2011-06-04T00:59:00.000-07:00

So, maybe I'm just romanticizing things.
But 22 years removed from my own graduation, I don't recall the level of restrictions that were placed on the graduates and families I saw this week.
Back in the field, I out for a commencement ceremony this week. Keyword: ceremony.
That was at the top of the sign posted at the gate: This is a ceremony, not a celebration. And as such, no balloons, no flowers, no excessive standing, no strollers, no car seats (oh, and small kids needed a ticket, too). Video cameras needed to be lap held.
Now, this is a school that was having its 118th graduation. They still observe many of the rituals that have been around for many of those 118 years, so decorum is needed.
But when seniors were supposed to arrive at 5:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. start, there's going to be a certain amount of steam that these 18-year-olds are going to want to vent. Especially on this, the day they've been waiting for for at least eight years (I'm thinking fourth grade is about the time you start wanting your school days to end).
So, as these 700 or so kids waited outside for the OK to march into the "ceremony," a couple of "troublemakers" started a cheer. Nothing mean. Nothing lewd. I think it was just a "What, What!" type of thing that the kids today might say (oh, gawd, did I just say that? I'm old).
Of course, that wasn't going to fly with the authorities figures. They were immediately on the students to be quiet. That it wasn't appropriate. Probably not (they weren't that far from the actual event, and were probably heard inside, where the band had started tuning up).
It was then I realized that this wasn't a day for them -- it was a day for the adults.
Oh, and did I forget to mention that campus security officers came through and searched inside each students' gown -- they guys even got pat downs. I'm guessing they were looking for noisemakers. Of course, every one of those kids was carrying one if they really wanted to use their phone...
Maybe I'm just overreacting. Making much ado about nothing.
Or maybe, just maybe (OK, probably pretty likely) I just feel free to write blogs again, so I'm writing about something that tweaked me a little bit and I thought I'd over share.
Eh, whatever. I'm back -- for now -- and this part of it feels pretty good.

Trapped

2010-10-17T23:50:00.000-07:00

Gina's dad is no longer among the living. Mind you, he's still alive ... just not living.

Gina's dad has been in and out of hospital care going on pretty close to a year now. It's been a slow build since we returned last July from Costa Rica.

First for checkups. Then he'd be checked in for a few days to get his body regulated, and then sent home. Then there was the car accident (when he shouldn't have been driving in the first place) that left him in the hospital for five days. And then home with a new set of instructions on how to better his life. I think the longest stay at home he's had since last July was three weeks (and that's being generous, I think).

His current hospital stay is going on six months. He has no home of his own to go to any more. He's on a ventilator. Has dialysis on a regular basis. He can't talk any more, and he's unable to hold a pen steady enough to write.

Six months of a holding pattern. Six months of nothing really. Six months of trying to get on with our lives, while in the back of our minds, that tugging guilt from not being able to do more.

This weekend, we got a call telling us that he was regressing. They said it might be time to get down there.

So, we drop everything and make the 60-mile drive from Colton, with a stop in Anaheim for babysitting, to Westminster. We get to the hospital just after they've moved him from a regular room back to the intensive care unit.

Where a few months ago, he could react to us by expressing emotion in his face ... that's gone now. He appears to have an infection in his eyes, and we're not sure if he can even see us. Or hear us. He's had dialysis for three days in a row in the hope that removing the toxins affecting his body will make him better.

We were there Saturday for a couple of hours. We went back Sunday after a morning call to the nurse's station said he was struggling more than he was yesterday. I took two days off. Gina took one.

But after our visit Sunday, we were left with the same feeling we've had for months. One of despair, one of guilt and one of hopelessness.

The problem is he's not going to get better. The doctor's have told us that. He won't ever be able to go back to any kind of life. He won't be able to go to his beloved horse track. He won't be able to have Shakey's pizza, mojos and beer. And there's nothing any of us can do about it.

We're torn, because you're not supposed to hope a loved one dies. You're supposed to hope that the doctors will cure them and you'll be able to have more time with them. You're supposed to have faith that things will work out.

But after six months of this, and another two days of making the 60-mile one-way drive with the thought that today might be "the day," and a combined three "sick" days away from work, what are we supposed to do? It's that holding pattern of guilt we're trapped in. We know he'll never "live" again, but shouldn't we be the good, dutiful children and be at his bedside day after day in case it is "the day"? Or should we go on with our lives? Have Gina go back to work -- another 60+ miles away in Palm Springs -- in the hope that he'll be fine until her next weekend?

Add in the stress that his family in Costa Rica is hanging on every one of our updates. They want to know how their son, brother and uncle is doing. They're thousands of miles away, why should I care about 60?

It's frustrating, because there's not much we can do. He has a do not resuscitate order, but as long as he's attached to the machines, he's going to stay the same. Alive, but a shell.

The reality is that even if we were closer to the hospital, there's nothing we could do that would help his lungs or kidneys heal, especially with the life he's led, with the constant drinking, gambling and smoking (until he quit to have more money to drink and gamble).

But that still doesn't make it any easier when you feel the weight of guilt coming at you from all sides, that no matter how much you do (or don't) do, it's never enough.

He's going to die. Likely soon. But maybe not. Until then, we're trapped.

Randomness

2009-12-08T12:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all my Facebook friends for engaging my curiousity when it comes to the Inland Empire.

First off, full disclosure, most of the newspapers in the area don't use the term "Inland Empire" when writing about their coverage area because no one knows for sure how one would define it. That's why I had to ask folks how they defined it.

The majority of folks who responded to my inquiry said that it is San Bernardino and Riverside counties. If that's the case, that's a pretty big region. Remember both counties stretch out to the state border with Arizona, and S.B. County also goes all the way to the Nevada border. And both contain areas that have their own confusing regional names (the Coachella Valley and High Desert).

My first experience actually working out this way was at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, a conveniently made up name that encompassed two separate papers circulation areas (Ontario's Daily Report and Pomona's Progress Bulletin). So it's always given me the impression that the Inland Empire should include the cities in Los Angeles County located east of the 57 Freeway (that's Pomona, Diamond Bar, Claremont, La Verne, San Dimas).

If you're curious, here's Wikipedia's Inland Empire page.

*****

The reason for all this mess was started by my thought that I might finally be able to say I covered a Heisman Trophy finalist with Toby Gerhart's nomination earlier this week (which turned out to be wrong, since I had covered games featuring a Heisman winner in Carson Palmer).

But Gerhart's status also got me thinking about where he would rank among the all-time great athletes to hail from the Inland Empire, and how he could become the first Heisman winner from the region.

But it could be argued by some that the Inland Empire already has one. Or does it? It all depends on how you define it.

You see, Glenn Davis, a running back for Army, won the Heisman Trophy in 1946. That Heisman is sitting inside a trophy case at Bonita High School in La Verne.

Yes, technically still LA County, but part of the Inland Empire? To some, probably. Thus the inquiry.

*****

So, who are some of the best athletes in the history of the Inland Empire? Do you count the High Desert and Coachella Valleys when you consider it? The mountain communities?

I know a few people who would be on the list without argument. You've got NFL Hall of Famers Anthony Munoz (Ontario, which named a community center and park for him) and Ronnie Lott (Eisenhower High in Rialto). Michelle Kwan was considered from Lake Arrowhead. Cheryl Miller (and her former Angel brother) hail from Riverside, as do Dusty Baker and Bobby Bonds. Derek Parra won Olympic medals in speed skating (learning on wheels in San Bernardino). Softball player Leah O'Brien-Amico, who won three gold medals, is from Chino. And there's Diana Taurasi, who played at Don Lugo High in Chino.

There's probably more (obvious ones, I'm sure), but that's all I can get off the top of my head. But some of the others I'm thinking of are from those fringe areas - Mark McGwire spent time at Damien High in La Verne and Jim Edmonds was from Diamond Bar. And while neither may end up in the Hall of Fame, they both had impressive careers in baseball.

And that's not counting anyone who played minor league sports on their way up through the system (major league rehab assignments don't count Manny Ramirez).

All a bit confusing (probably pointless), I know.

*****

Also running through my skull during that time was the names of the best players I ever got to see play as a reporter covering high school (and some JC). Most of the names that popped in were football players because most of the time, that's all we end up covering on regular basis.

So, here they are, in no particular order:

* Chris Draft, Valencia High (Placentia). He was a man in high school, so much so that they called him "Mr. Draft" at Valencia (and it was on the back of his letterman's jacket. He was taller than me and built like a house. He played running back and linebacker for some very good teams at Valencia (still one of the best high school environments in my memories). He went on to play linebacker in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons.

* Toby Gerhart, Norco. Got to see him play a bunch of times each of his years at Norco (another great high school game environment, probably because it's still a one high school town). He ran over people, could cut and gain yards with the best of them (which, in state history, he is). You knew they were always in a game as long as they could hand the ball off to him (which they did, a lot).

* Carson Palmer, Santa Margarita. I only got a small sample size with him, but what I saw was pretty good. My greatest memory of him playing was sitting in the press box and seeing the offense come out with an empty backfield, five wide and Palmer in the shotgun. I said aloud (to no one in particular) that the play was going to be a quarterback draw. And a couple of seconds later, I was proven right.

* Reuben Droughns, Anaheim. Just a fabulous runner. He was one more dependant on hitting his holes and outrunning you, rather than the power of a Gerhart or Draft. He was on pace to set the Orange County record for career rushing yards, but got sidetracked by a suspension at the start of his senior year (he and some friends allegedly took part in a prank the night of the previous graduation).

* Garrett Sabol, Kennedy (La Palma). The only name on this list who you've probably never heard of. He wasn't the biggest player or the fastest, but man did he make up for it with his ability to be in the right place at the right time. And he hit as hard as anyone I've ever seen. Anyone who came up the middle with him at linebacker or safety was just asking for him to hit you. He went to Oregon and I found this tackle on YouTube.

After that, I saw plenty of solid Division I basketball players (boys and girls), plenty of pro prospects in baseball (I saw Steve Trachsel pitch while I was at Fullerton JC) and lots of great softball pitchers.

*****

So, with that, I'll wrap things up. Like I said in the title, it's a bit of randomness. But I needed to write something to help clear my head. And since I've been on a bit of break, I figured it'd be a good few topics to maybe get myself going again.

Have a good holiday season.

Just Play Ball, already

2009-10-08T01:43:00.000-07:00

I've always been under the belief that you shouldn't write angry.

So, I cooled off for a couple of hours before I started writing this.

I know it's been a while, and I'll probably tell you why some other time, but not today. I have something else important to say:

Nine-inning baseball games should not take four hours.

OK, sure, the official time of game for Wednesday's National League Division Series game between the Dodgers and Cardinals clocked in at less - six minutes less. But even that was too long.

Everyone knows how much of a sports fan I am. I tend to watch what I can, when I can. And baseball still is an important game to follow. But, man, Major League Baseball, you're losing fans with this.

They'll point at their TV partners, who want to suck all the drama and ratings they can out of the game. And, yeah, they'll be right to a degree. But looking over sporadically at the game Wednesday night, and it wasn't just TBS slowing things down. It was everyone. The players, the coaches, the managers. Everyone.

There is a rule in the books to speed up play, but it's never enforced. Oh, maybe once a season you hear about it. But this is the playoffs, and everyone has to jockey for every little last advantage they can. Even if it means a parade of relievers.

I was skulking around the office bitching about the slowness of the game - because me going home depends on when that game gets over and our photographer can send in his photos for a gallery. "This is why I love hockey. There games don't take forever," I said to everyone and no one in particular.

One person, another hockey fan, disagreed. And I realized he was right. Because they can have marathon games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But when they play a marathon, it can be over at any second. You're in overtime, and there's nothing like overtime playoff hockey. They can play the equivalent of two games and you'll be on the edge of your seat. And it will still only take, what, four and a half hours?

But baseball, you still have to reach that ninth inning. With the pitching changes and the batters adjusting themselves and the throws over to first and the missed signs and the ...

If you're playing in extra innings, I give you a pass. Then it's all or nothing. You're playing to win the game. That Detroit-Minnesota game on Tuesday was great. It had action. Something that happened in short spurts in between all the adjusting on Wednesday at Chavez Ravine.

OK, I'll admit, I really didn't watch much of the game. The TV's in the office aren't close enough or at a good enough angle that I have a good view. It might have been very exciting.

And what fixes do I have? None that will be enforced. Unless someone goes ahead and puts a pitch clock up where the umpires and fans and players can see it. Make it like the shot clock in basketball or play clock in football. When everyone sees the clock, then maybe people will move it along. (They had one in the Olympics, but it really didn't help those games either, but you didn't exactly have major leaguers, either.)

That's it. I'll step off my soapbox now. Have a good day. And let's hope the Angels and Red Sox can move their game along tonight.

Get comfy in your couch, Fall has (nearly) arrived

2009-09-15T00:45:00.000-07:00

Labor Day has passed, and it's time to start thinking about Fall.

Although, in SoCal, you tend not to notice the seasons passing as they do in the rest of the country. We tend to see things in more practical ways. You know, we're in Fire Season now, and soon it will be Flood Season. It's pretty much always Crime Season.

Anyway ...

But more than a change of seasons, Fall ushers in many important things in many of our lives. Mostly, more time in front of the television.

You see, pro football season and the Fall TV season are underway. The NFL kicked off Thursday, while new shows have started popping up across the dial. It's a couch potato's dream.

And the two do come at a time when the weather is starting to get a little cooler and the days are getting shorter. Who needs that pesky fresh air, anyway?

For me, football season really signifies one thing: Fantasy Football season. It's really the only reason I still pay close attention to the game ... I've got a stake in it.

Seriously. I could care less who wins the games each week, as long as my players do well enough for me to win each week, I'm happy. Even when we had our friendly competitions at the Bulletin, the wins in the league only mattered when they lined up with my choices.

I know that makes me a bad fan. You're not supposed to root for players - you're supposed to root for teams. But I just can't any more. I don't have a big screen TV with a dish to watch every game on every Sunday. Heck, I'm not even home on Sundays even if I did. Nor will I ever see myself shelling out the money to do so.

Sure, football is still entertaining, and you never know what will happen on any given Sunday (see Cincy-Denver this past week). But for the most part, football has become an overproduced, TV run event. The amount of actual sport that goes on in the 60 minute game (spread over three hours) is probably in the neighborhood of 20 to 25 minutes of game time. So, the other two-and-a-half hours is filled with talking, commercials, replays and standing around.

Meanwhile, with the Fall TV season, you expect overproduced fare to be hitting the airwaves. In fact, any new show that isn't overproduced probably wouldn't be making it onto a Fall schedule (especially at NBC).

I try each year to be at least informed enough about the new shows not to make snap judgments about each, and write them off before they've evened aired. But thanks to the Internet, I've actually gotten to see one new show before it debuts.

That show is "Modern Family," a new "documentary style" comedy that will be on ABC, and I'm happy to say that it was as funny as promised by many of the critics who saw it way back in May.

But, unfortunately, I don't expect to survive. Why?

Well, first it's going to be up against "Glee" on the schedule out of the gate. And most of the hipsters and buzz generators will be watching that. The teens and young girls will be over at the CW, watching back-to-back glamour with "America's Next Top Model" and "The Beautiful Life" and CBS will probably have some crime show that will trump them all (and no one cares about NBC, since Leno's going to be on in an hour anyway).

Second, sadly, was a critique by a commenter on the message board provided with the show. I can't quote it verbatim, but it was something to the effect of "When will you people learn we're still not comfortable seeing the gays."

The show is centered around three generations of one family. You've got the divorced father, who's remarried a hot and feisty Colombian half his age (and she has a 11-year-old who could be best described as Bobby Hill from "King of the Hill"). There's his daughter, who is married with three kids (15, 12ish and 10ish). And his son, who's been in a five-year relationship with his boyfriend, and just adopted a child.

The writing was first-rate and the acting was spot on. They've even got the a "big named" guest star lined up for later in the season. But we're still having that conversation.

It seems to me that unless they're queeny to the point of ridiculousness, or making your clothes on "Project Runway," middle America can't take a portrayal of a gay person. Why not? What's wrong with an honest portrayal of what life is for 95 percent of the committed couples who would love nothing more than to be treated just like the rest of us straight folk?

The show played everything as real as a television show might (though, the 10-year-old's punishment for shooting his 12-year-old sister with a BB gun was for his father to shoot him).

I hope you get the chance to check it out a couple of Wednesdays from now, and really hope ABC gives it a long leash with room to grow.

One thought, one story

2009-09-08T23:59:00.000-07:00

HAIL TO THE CHIEF: So, President Obama spoke to the children of America and ... nothing happened.

The republic is the same as it had been before he spoke. Students didn't revolt. No one was "indoctrinated."

What was the big deal again?

You know, I understand why people were making a fuss. A new president, who's shaking up the status quo with a contentious plan during the worse financial crisis in many of our lives, decided to talk to the children of the country. Obviously, he was trying to earn their support for health care.

Of course he wasn't. That would have been absolute political suicide.

Seems to me, he was just looking to talk to the youth of America like he would talk to his own kids. Strive hard, reach high and one day you'll be able to achieve any goal you want ... even be, dare I say, President.

What's wrong with that? Shouldn't every President strive to inspire the youth of America?

And lets face the truth: Even if President Obama went to the youth of America with his health care message, it would have flown right over the elementary school students' heads, the junior high students would have ignored it and the high schoolers woulda called bull****.

When you're a young student, the President is the "king." He's the one who can do whatever he wants. You may make campaign promises about putting Coke in the water fountains, but he'd be the one who could really do it.

And it didn't matter who it was. Reagan was the President for most of my formative school years, and as far as I was concerned, he was the greatest ever. And the day he was shot (I was in fourth grade) was one that our teachers made known was a national tragedy. In fact, the teacher was practically crying because someone would do that to America.

But as you get older, you start to realize more about the office than "He's the President and he can do no wrong." You start to build your own opinions about how things should - could - go in the country.

It's not until you've reached college that you "get" it. You realized that the eight years Reagan was in charge weren't as hunky-dory as you thought they were while you were in school. Or that Clinton was lying when he said he "didn't inhale." Sure he didn't ...

It's something I've thought about often since becoming a parent. How would I react about the President around my son, especially if I thought he was a grade-A moron?

The conclusion I always come to is that no matter what I think of the man, or his policies, he is the President. He was selected to take office by the laws of the country (by the way, thanks for those eight years, electoral collage). And as such, he deserves the respect of the office.

In other words, don't take away a piece of your kids' innocence by demonizing the person or the office. They'll learn it on their own.

KING ME: So, I've been away for a little bit. Been busy. Generally not a whole lot to write about.

Well, except for Hockeyfest.

If you were following along on Facebook, or you've been around me at all in the last couple of weeks, then you'll know we had a great time. Got four autographs, some cool pictures and had a good time riding the train (except for all the bags we were carrying at the event).

But the big story was trying to see if we could get Luc Robitaille. And boy did we.

We were waiting in line for the autograph session with Anze Kopitar and Teddy Purcell, and we knew that baby Luc's diaper was stinky. Ripe would be a good word. So, we're in this tent on top of a parking structure looking to find a place to change him.

I grabbed the diaper bag while Gina held our spot in line. I looked around and found a nice, quiet, out-of-the-way spot to get him cleaned up before we went up to meet the two players.

It was this bench over by the edge of the tent. No one during our time there had anyone walked along there. So, I get Luc lied down on the bench and start struggling to get him undressed to take care of the business at hand. Shoes, off. Shorts, off. Clean diaper and wipes out and ready.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see people walking toward me from my left. They're climbing over the similar benches that are placed on the other end of the walkway and heading straight toward me. Five or six people. "Great," I'm thinking, "I'm going to have my son's dirty ass hanging out as these people walk by."

I keep looking, and I realize I recognize one of the people walking toward us. "F'ing A, it's Luc Robitaille."

Yes, that's my luck.

With his group (not sure if it was people chasing him or people with him), they came toward us, and stepped up on the benches to walk to their destination. I looked up and said "Hi, Luc," and he looked down, smiled and said "Hi." I woulda paid anything to know what was running through his mind as he looked down at that scene.

Couldn't get anything else out, cause he was movin'. He winged past Gina, who called to tell me about the Luc sighting (I didn't hear the phone, and didn't answer). So, I continued what I was doing and started getting my son dressed.

Got his shorts up, getting ready to get his shoes, and looked to my right, and here comes Robitaille again. No one in tow this time. I say, "Luc, can we get a picture?" He's in a hurry. He takes the time to turn and say that he can't right now because he's needed over at the Nokia Theater for another part of the program, but to come over there and track him down.

So, we get through the autograph session, and decide we've had enough of the tent, let's go over to the Nokia. And as we round the corner for the front, there he is, outside talking on his cell phone. He walked inside, as did we, and he was still there, talking on his phone. And being polite people, we left him alone. He was still outside the main theater when we went in to hear some of the NHL Experts Panel, but gone when we left.

So, no picture. No autograph. But one helluva story.

Maybe he'll come out to Ontario next week for the preseason game. We can only hope.

People I Hate (one in an occasional series)

2009-08-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

As the title suggests, there have been people raising my ire lately, and the great thing about "people" is that I don't know them and feel free to complain about their stupidity.

One such group that caught my attention recently was people who are neighbors to a high school who started complaining about the band practicing in the morning.

We all went to high school. We all had friends in the band. And we all heard the stories of the early hours and long days they put in for their craft. ("This one time, at band camp ...")

So, with school starting again, so was the band, out on the fields at 6:30 in the morning. That is until the neighbors called the city and complained about the band violating the city's noise ordinance. Now, they have to start at 7 a.m.

It's these kind of people, who move into a neighborhood, full well knowing there's something next door that will cause them some level of discomfort, and still complain, that drive me nuts. It's like the neighbors who got the Pacific Amphitheater at the Orange County Fairgrounds shut down because the noise of the concerts was too much.

Um, duh, dumbass. You moved in next door to the Orange County Fairgrounds. You think it was going to be a quiet little neighborhood? Oh, hey, by the way, you know you're right near John Wayne Airport, too, right? Where big jet planes are going to be flying over, rattling your house in the process?

I'm afraid that one day, somewhere in the future, people who moved into the homes along Interstate 15 out near the Glen Helen Pavilion are going to start complaining about the noise from the concerts at the facility that was there YEARS before their houses were built.

It's the whole "not-in-my-back-yard" syndrome (better known as NIMBY). The state of California is in the middle of a crisis with its prisons, and probably could use more ... but not in anyone's back yard (even if the back yard is 5 miles away). But we can't have early release, either.

Even worse to me is that the main complaintant has lived there for years. If the only problem you've ever had with the school is the band practicing in the morning, consider yourself lucky.

My parents' house is a mile from Loara. On most mornings, I could hear our band clearly practicing from our front yard. I can only imagine how it was for the people in the houses directly behind the school. Or how many soccer balls we lost in the back yards of the houses that were right up against our fields (might've been a few softballs, too). And how much trash and damage was left behind by the houses back by the gate by the football fields by visiting fans (or our own students). And that's not taking into account houses being toilet papered, cars being egged or the occasional "war" in the streets or extreme senior court trashing (I'm talking to you class of '88).

The worst part of the story to me was that some of the people didn't want them practicing in the morning at all. The person we talked to even went as far to complain on behalf of those who work nights or have small children.

First off, if you're the parent of a small child, you're already sleep deprived. The music might even help. And second, as someone who's worked nights exclusively for going on 10 years, the world is not built for us who work late into the evening (or overnight). You learn to sleep through the annoyances that are going on around you. You know, things like doors slamming, children screaming, car alarms going off ... sunrise.

Being a renter, I've come to deal with some realities. One such is that the landscaping crew will be outside your window every week making a racket no matter what time you get in bed. We had a one such group who started at 7 a.m. every week during the summer without fail. And when you work until midnight and go to sleep at 1:30 a.m., it's a pain. But there's nothing you can do about it - you deal with it. And I've lived near train tracks that were right next door to an airport.

So, "people," suck it up already. You'd rather the students not be in the band? Out on the streets with no extracurricular activities? Because I'm sure that can be arranged, too. And then you can complain about those damn kids being on your lawn.

Fast Food Friday

2009-08-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we've done this, so here goes...

Since small became the new big at fast food places, restaurants have tried just about anything to get you to grab their small bites.

Jack in the Box entered the market of "small" food earlier this year with its mini sirloin burgers, which I loved (and still order sorta regularly). So, it was a no brainer to try out their mini buffalo ranch chicken sandwiches.

And, well, they're OK. The mini chicken patties aren't as bad as they could be, and the buffalo and ranch provide a different taste ... but something just struck me as they weren't as good as they could have been.

Part of it is the whole sauce issue. If I want buffalo chicken, I want the buffalo sauce on the chicken. And preferably, I'd like the patty lightly tossed in the buffalo sauce (Frank's Red Hot, which they've been using for years) with the ranch placed upon top from there. But being a fast food place, having something tossed would be like asking for a steamed lobster. It's just not going to happen. The likelihood would be better that they would dunk the patty in the sauce and put too much on it.

Besides the buffalo and ranch (which does provide you with a drip hazard), you get lettuce on your mini buns. The whole think adds up to 738 calories according to their Web site's nutrition info. For comparisons sake, their long-time favorite, the spicy chicken sandwich - with cheese - will ding you for 626 calories and the chipotle chicken ciabatta with the spicy crispy patty - with cheese AND bacon - will get you for 704 calories.

Just saw a commercial for the newest product coming from the minds of Carl's Jr. and there's nothing like going right after an icon.

Introducing the Big Carl.

Two all-beef patties, special sauce (Carl's), lettuce and two slices of cheese on a toasted sesame seed bun! No pickles, no onions, no piece of bread in between.

I don't see the need for Carl's to make this kind of move. What's the point? People already love your burgers (the Western is one of the best ever) and the Six-Dollar Burgers are well worth the extra change. I'm assuming that the price is less than McD's, so as to say, hey, we can do your signature better and cheaper than you, with less bread, even.

Even then, it's gonna hit you in the stomach. The Big Carl weighs in at a serving size of 315 grams, and will hit you at 920 calories - a whopping 530 from fat. The Mac, meanwhile, is 214 grams, and only 540 calories, 240 of which is fat.

You know, I'll give just about anything a try in the fast food arena.

But there has been one item that I have looked at at various places and said no way, no how. And I saw it offered at Del Taco for the first time the other day.

A chili cheese fries burrito.

I think I had seen it at Weinerschnitzel before that, and I just get the willies thinking about it. Fries, in a burrito? No thanks.

I know what you're thinking. "But, dude, it's just chili cheese fries in a convenient carrying device." Nope. Just not wrapping my head around it.

Mind you, put those in a tray and I'll eat 'em up. Heck, I liked the Taco Bell beef and potato burrito. And you know how many other places I've had tater tots in breakfast burritos and had no complaints?

Maybe it's just the idea of the texture of fries. They're supposed to have a decent crispy snap to them. And then you wrap them in a flour tortilla?

It must be a rather new thing they're trying out, because there's no nutritional info on their Web site for that bad boy.

Speaking of things I won't even dare try ...

The snack bar at the bowling alley I've been frequenting in Moreno Valley has something called the "Big Bowler" and they put a picture of it up so you don't have to use your imagination.

For $6, they'll give you a pound of meat (I've never been able to count the patties in the picture), five slices of cheese and "mucho veggies" between a bun. Even in their picture, the thing is leaning over from its sheer weight.

The first time I was there, I asked the woman working the counter how many of those things they sold a day? Maybe one I figured. Two tops, right?

"Oh, three or four."

Groan.

I'm assuming they're being shared by the adventurous teen set who come in on dates. But, man, just thinking about it makes my arteries harden.

That's the one form of food self abuse I've never really thrust upon myself - the ridiculously oversized fast food burger. I may have gotten a triple cheeseburger from McDonalds once (and, hey, it was McDonald's). I hear about people going to In n Out and getting a triple-triple or shudder a four-by-four and can't even fathom getting through one of those. The double-double (animal style, hold the dressing, thank you much) is plenty-plenty. And when I'm done with my meal from there, I always want more fries - not burger.

Oh, and speaking of quality you can taste, saw a story recently asking celebrity (and other famous) chefs what their favorite fast food place was ... the winner, In n Out.

Root, root, root for the OTHER team

2009-08-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

Angels fans need to do a little extra rooting these days.

For the Texas Rangers.

Yes, I know that the Rangers are in the American League West, and them winning would put the Angels' lead in the division in jeopardy, but wait a second and follow me on this one.

Let's go back a year, and the Angels' 100-win season. That they had the division all-but wrapped up in, oh, late July. They were in cruise control for a good part of the season. The only thing they had to play for a long time was the quest for 100 wins and Francisco Rodriguez's save record.

That's no way to stay sharp, especially when you need to be at the top of your game in the playoffs.

So having Texas hang around will keep pressure on the Angels to win. While it seems nice to clinch the division early, it'll be good for this team to play meaningful games late in September.

But there's a bigger, more important reason for Angels fans to get behind Texas.

One word: Boston.

You don't want the Sawx anywhere near the city of Anaheim in October. No way. No how.

Home-field advantage? Throw it out the window. Better pitching staff? They have to do it in Fenway, something they haven't done. And the vaunted lineup? In the cold of October, again, in Fenway.

They can say whatever they want about it being a new year, or a new challenge, and that it won't get into their head.

Yeah, sure. After the 20th question about the Angels' woes in the playoffs against the Red Sox, and it will seep into the unconscious of any player.

And all the history will be dredged up ... again.

The way the standings are going, with 44 games or so to go, the Rangers and Sox are tied for the wild card. And it won't matter if the Angels have the best record over the Yankees if the Sox are the wild card. The two AL East teams can't play each other in the first round, so Boston will be shipped West to take out the Angels and make the east-coast media happy.

But if Texas can hang with Boston, and win the wild card, they'll get thrown to the Yankees, and the Angels will get the Central Division winner (which, if it's the other Sox, will be another painful problem for the Halos). But it would still be preferable to having to deal with the thousands of issues that come with having to play Boston -- again.

So, join me in rooting down the stretch for the Rangers to keep pace. And, it would be nice to throw a wrench in plans of Fox and the other baseball partners by having to go to Arlington in October, instead of their favorite of Fenway.

Is there a doctor in the house?

2009-08-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

So, we're in the middle of another fight in America. Class and party lines have been drawn. All over who gets to see a doctor.

There's been much yelling and much misinformation thrown out from both sides. And it's getting old and tiresome. And it all smacks of sour grapes.

For six years the Bush administration pushed through just about every piece of legislation it wanted. Rip apart our freedoms? Sure. Go to war in Iraq to finish what Daddy started, when we probably should be in Afghanistan? Piece of cake. Open up laws that let Wall Street and major corporations run wild? Great!

So, now that the other side wants to make changes, why are they crying that the Democrats aren't listening?

Anyone who questioned the previous administration was labeled un-American. Un-patriotic. A Communist. And now as the White House asks for a quiet, civilized debate on health care, the other side is complaining that they're being stifled.

Really? Stifled? When everyone is letting you scream at the top of your lungs? After calling anyone who dared complain about the Bush administration a traitor? You really want to go there?

I don't think anyone's going to be able to stifle any of your arguments. All that was being asked was to know all the facts and to discuss your concerns in a civilized manner. Not to go out and spread misinformation about "death panels."

Is that really so much to ask?

MORE HEALTH CARE: One of the things that set me off on this rant was an image that flashed for all of a second during an opening montage on "Nightline" the other day.

Someone was holding a sign outside a town hall meeting that said "Health Care is NOT a right."

Um, OK? So, some person shows up at the hospital injured without insurance and the doctors can't treat them? A uninsured young woman with a baby on the way can't get pre-natal care which might help her or her child avoid costly treatments later (as long as she has it, that is)? And someone who isn't a doctor decides she can make that decision?

Sounds like someone's appointed themselves a one-person death panel.

EVEN MORE HEALTH CARE: I really don't know if what's been proposed is the right fit (I've only read what the White House spin masters have put out on the Web), but one thing is sure, we need some sort of reform

There are problems with the system. And I have what would be considered pretty good insurance.

But the argument I hear that drives me crazy is that they don't want to pay for any type of government insurance.

Again, um ... you already do. What do you think the tax money taken from your check goes to? And do you really think that plan will take more taxes away from people who are already struggling to pay their bills? No, I have a feeling it'll be those that are making the decision to lay off people to protect their bottom lines that will be hit the hardest.

Besides, it's not like most of us already don't pay for our own insurance (pre-tax, of course). I'm pretty sure I've never had an employer-sponsored health plan that was completely free to me in my adult life. I've always had to have money withdrawn each paycheck as part of the deal.

And the amount has steadily gone up year after year after year after ... To the point that I now have $214 per paycheck taken out to cover myself and my family for medical, dental and vision.

I can pretty much guarantee that it'll go up again this fall when we have open enrollment. And there's the chance that they may institute a rule that spouses who have insurance offered by their employers must use that, or pay an extra fee to continue on the current plan. Gina's former employer did that to us -- after my open enrollment ended. Luckily we were able to switch and not pay the fee.

More and more businesses are turning to their employees to help foot the health care bill. My mom has been at her job with ROP some 25 years now, and will have to pay for her insurance this fall for the first time (only $25 per month for an HMO that the family doctor won't accept or in the hundreds for a PPO).

EVEN MORE: The biggest problem with most of our health care decisions come down not to our health, but to our happiness and convenience.

Who really needs to have a four-hour erection thanks to a little blue pill? How many people knew that they "had to go" more than normal before they saw a commercial? And how many of our problems might just go away if we ate less and exercised more?

That's the key thing right there. Proper fitness, including diet. And I'm the perfect example.

A few years back, it was decided I had sleep apnea. This after the five-minute visit in the doctor's office and a sleep study where they hook you up with all kinds of wires and gadgets then tell you "Go to sleep, and try not to move too much, otherwise you'll knock the wires off." You're lucky you sleep at all.

Anyway, they made the determination and handed me the CPAP machine to help keep me breathing while I sleep. I remember showing up at the location to get the machine dreading having to get this thing. The person who was getting his at the same time ... well, not so much.

We sat down at this table, and the tech started pulling out our supplies. And for some reason, I got a humidifier with mine (my old HMO insurance paid for a lot of stuff). The other guy wasn't having that. He wanted to know where HIS extra pieces were, and WHY he wasn't getting them. I was kicking and screaming and he was diving in with both feet.

So, for some five years or so, I've had this machine. The insurance company paid for a new mask twice a year (until I moved to my current PPO, which counts it against my deductible ... grrr) and that was it.

Has it fixed the problem? Well, I don't snore or lose sleep any more. But if the mask is broken or was taken away from me, I would still toss and turn and snore my way through a restless night or two before it was replaced.

To fix it completely would include buy in from me. I need to lose weight. Stop eating junk food and exercise more and all that.

But wouldn't it be nice if we were able to take our insurance and use it in ways that would make us healthier. A stipend to pay for a gym. Easier access to nutritionists. A focus on preventative care that wasn't just a five minute physical and a pat on the back.

But that won't make insurance companies money. And that's why many of us would like some sort of reform. Turn the bottom lines from obscene profits that go to pay for executives to more coverage for more people.

WRAPPING IT UP: I know the idea of universal health care is still a pipe dream in this country. It's an almost unreachable ideal.

But why can't we? What's stopping us? I keep hearing we're the greatest country in the world with the greatest economy in the world (a local representative said as much recently). But we haven't figure out a way to take care for every citizen yet? There are still women who can't get pre-natal care? There are still senior citizens who cut their medication in half to make it last? Or the people who have jobs who can't even afford basic dental care?

I think we should be able to figure it out somehow. Shouldn't we all find a way to help our fellow human beings? Because no matter how much money or fame you have, it's not going with you.

Thursday's Random Thoughts

2009-08-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

GET YOUR (GENERAL) MOTORS RUNNING: It's so rare when our government does something that seems to work for everyone.
The Cash for Clunkers program may prove to be one of the best programs for the masses that has ever come out of Washington. But as it is being hailed as a huge success, it leaves me with one question: Why didn't they tie the program into the stimulus packages for the automakers?
I know that the bill was originally proposed by California's Dianne Feinstein (and others) to get inefficient cars off the road. But with all the screaming about why didn't we just let the automakers fail, why didn't we let the market decide and stimulate the economy at the same time?
Because, let's look at it. People are able to get new cars that will save them money. The car companies get more money pumped into their books, and allow them to keep running for a few months. And the government looks like it's doing something to help everyone. Every one's happy.
What gets me is that people are almost surprised by how much of a success the program has been.
Did they think people were going to turn down free money for a new car? Did they think everyone wants to continue driving their old gas guzzler?
So, Congress, getting ready for their month vacation (when's the last time you had a month vacation?), had to hurry and pass legislation to keep the program running. Because, you know, there's more people out there who want to have fuel-efficient cars and are willing to get into debt for a few years.
I love that the Senate was sitting around wringing its hands about extending the program. I realize they have many things to consider when passing a bill that's going to give away $2 billion more, but when the will of the people is screaming, don't you listen?
Of course, considering my car situation, I was looking forward to possibly taking advantage of the program. But it won't happen.
To have your car qualify, they use the government's fuel mileage standards. And my 1995 Chevy S-10, with 240,000-plus miles on it, still gets more than 20 miles per gallon, according to their calculations (and yeah, it's pretty close to that, so I can't complain).
So, instead of getting a new car, I'm putting more money into keeping my car running. And I don't mind, especially if it's able to hold on for a few more months. We only have a small amount left to pay on our other car, and once that's done, it'll give us time to pay off our other debts and allow us to save for a new car when we're ready.

TEAM AMERICA: President Bill Clinton's mission to North Korea was a success. He brought home the two American journalists who were being jailed there. Happy ending to a story that hit pretty close to home for those of us still plying the trade.
Can't we just leave it at that?
Why do we need to read subtext into it? Why can't we just be happy that two women, who's only "crime" may have been walking a few yards too far across the China/North Korea border, have been returned home to their families?
Nooooo. Couldn't just leave it at that.
OK, we get it. Kim Jong Il gets to look like a hero to the world, with Bill Clinton sitting and smiling next to him. Gee, he did something right and we're supposed to be upset for the reasons he did it?
And Clinton? The man is a politician, and he's good at it. If we were talking about politics in sports terms, he'd be a first-ballot Hall of Famer ... and not just because he was President.
The man talks circles around the issues. He's got that perfect politician smile. You know, the one that says "I love y'all, and y'all love me, but y'all ain't gonna believe it when I raise your taxes." Anyone who can argue about how to define the word "is" ... what can you call them but politician?
So, think what you want, but the man was just playing his game. And not very many people play it as well as he does. He came home with the prize without compromising President Barack Obama or any other policy (that we know of).

99 MEMORIES: This week's Kings Classic was actually a game I attended ... Wayne Gretzky's first game as a Kings, way back in 1988. And it conjured up some good memories, from Roy Orbison singing the National Anthem to the place practically exploding when No. 99 scored the Kings' first goal.
But one thing that stood out from rewatching that game: The fans singing the "Na Na Hey Hey" to the Red Wings with five minutes remaining. In a regular season game. The FIRST regular season game.
Used to be us Kings fans would sing that near the end of every home game. Then, somewhere along the line, it morphed to only when the Kings were going to win a playoff series. Now, it's gone.
Admittedly, there hasn't been much chance to sing it lately for the Kings. But beyond LA, I really don't hear it as much in hockey arenas any more. Did we get tired of taunting opponents? Or are we trying to be good sports?
Who knows the answer to that one. But maybe us Kings fans will get a reason to sing it next year. Ah, one can dream.

The Father-in-Law Problem

2009-07-30T01:20:00.000-07:00

When I started writing this post, it was going to detail our vacation and the travails of traveling with at 2-year-old who doesn't know better and a 72-year-old who just doesn't care.
But the more I wrote, the more it rambled and the longer it got. And really, I could go into every detail of dealing with Gina's dad on the trip and it would've never gotten to the point.
The point being that while his mother, who turned 100 on our trip, is a woman who is old, Gina's dad is a guano-crazy Old Man.
The problem is, in reality, that he isn't really crazy. He just likes playing with people.
And it's gotten him trouble now. And by extension, us too.
His doctor has diagnosed him with dementia caused by Alzheimer's. And the doctor thinks Gina's dad belongs in a home - to the point that he's searched and found one that will take him and his insurance.
Dementia, we buy. He has massive anxieties that cause him to act irrationally. He has delusions that he's still a virile young man who should be desired (or, at the very least, *ahem* serviced).
But the Alzheimer's? We're not so sure. He is still pretty sharp, especially when it comes to the way he lays down the guilt, weasels the things he wants or doles out the verbal punishment for anyone who dares cross him.
The doctor based his opinion on a couple of encounters with Gina's dad at appointments, and by the fact that he won't take care of himself.
The first encounter came one day when Gina's dad rode his four-wheel scooter to the appointment, when his county-paid-for caregiver was supposed to bring him. When they asked where the caregiver was, and how he got there, he lied rather than face the scorn.
The second came when Gina's sister came with him to another appointment. Being sort of polite, he reintroduced Gina's sister to the doctor by saying, you remember my daughter? Gina's sister heard the doctor's response under his breath "He doesn't remember he's introduced her."
And not taking care of himself? That's nothing new. He's never taken care of himself. He's always had someone around who could do it. Gina's mom endured years of verbal and physical abuse and stayed to help take care of him until her dying days. His gratitude: One visit to the hospital in her final two weeks.
Since her death, he's had his share of people who have pitched in to help, from family to friends to government agencies. It finally got to the point that he got the caretakers who were to help cook and clean and take care of him for the past year-plus. Well, until just before we left.
Just before we left, his latest caretaker quit. Of Mexican descent, she couldn't take the racist she was caring for (oh, he hates the Mexicans - never mind his granddaughter is half-Mexican). Or the sexual harassment he was doling out. I told you he still believed himself to be a virile stud - he has porn scattered around his bedroom.
But most recently, he's had Gina's sister, who moved in to help her stem the financial tide in her life. He's leaned on her, using her so much, it's not fair to her, her husband or their 8-month-old daughter. So, they're getting ready to move out, and he's upset.
He's on a bevy of medications, and he knows what he's supposed to take and when. He handled all of them while on the trip to Costa Rica. But because he never took care of himself after having bypass surgery to clear clots in his legs, he's back to the point he was before the surgery - hurting and having troubles walking (he moved like a glacier when he did walk). I would bet he's in danger of losing his feet at some point as well.
Which leaves us in a quagmire. What do we do? The way I see it, there are four options.
1) We take the doctor's advice and we put him in the home.
There are days when I've had enough and I'm ready just to do it. But in our hearts, we know it's not right. He's still sharp enough to get himself around. At one point, the doctor had enough and signed him into the psych ward of the hospital on a three-day mandatory hold. That scared him some, because the people in there were actually insane.
But it didn't scare him enough that he started following the doctor's advice, which leaves the doctor positive he can't be trusted (he can't) to take care of himself and needs to be in this Alzheimer's specialty home. We worry, though, that being trapped there will lead to his death sooner rather than later.
2) We get him into a private senior living home that will give him freedom, but also have staff around in case.
This option is probably the right one ... but how? Most of those won't take his state or federal insurance (that is if the state hasn't already cut it).
And lets look at the finances of his kids. Well, there's Gina and I, two journalists who had their pay cut and have a 2-year-old. His other daughter, who has the young baby and a stepdaughter to take care of every other weekend, and who's husband has been looking for work. And there's his son, the bouncer at the strip club, who's trying to go to culinary school and better his life.
Not a lot of extra money floating around. Especially when in that environment, we think he'd thrive and live a lot longer.
3) We ship him off to Costa Rica.
Most of his family is still there, and have told us not to worry, they would look after him. He likely would thrive having all the family around him. Being back there would probably be good for him, as well, because it wouldn't cost him much to live.
But, if he went, he'd probably lose all the Social Security he gets now (admittedly, it's not that much, but it's enough he'd freak out about it) and any of the other government help he gets.
And then there's his kids. It's not like any of us can drop everything at a moment's notice and get to Costa Rica (see: finances) if something were to go wrong. Though, if we're to believe him, when he does die, there's a huge inheritance waiting in Costa Rica. We just have to go get it.
4) The last option is just to leave things the way they are.
Gina's sister is moving out, in part, to help him. If she's there when the county housing inspectors come, he'll lose some of his housing help. And lord knows, in this state, they'll be looking at everything to make cuts.
But once she's gone, she won't be there at his beck and call. We're out in Colton (with Gina working another hour out in Palm Springs). And Gina's brother can't/won't pitch in because of a lot of issues between the two.
So, this is our problem. Piling on top of all our other problems. We run through each of these scenarios and their pros and cons and never come to a viable conclusion (because winning the lottery isn't one - and lord knows Gina's dad tried to gamble his way to prosperity many times).
What to do? *Shrug* Got me. I'm looking for suggestions. Got any?

Summer Puckin'

2009-07-29T11:05:00.001-07:00

So, there has been one consistent good thing about being off Tuesdays this summer.
Kings hockey.
Prime Ticket, in need of filler programming, spends Tuesday night showing classic hockey (yes, including the Ducks), and it's a nice respite from the rest of the stuff on television.
This past Tuesday's Kings game was Game 6 from the 1990 playoffs, when the Kings knocked off the Calgary Flames in double overtime. Mike Krushelnyski's goal from his backside is still as classic now as it was then.
But watching, there were quite a few things that stood out.
First off, this was a pre-Ducks world. Which means that many of my friends who are now Ducks fans probably didn't watch that game. And probably didn't watch any hockey. It's a good thing Gretzky and the Kings were good enough to make enough runs deep into the playoffs proving hockey was viable in Southern California.
Second, you realize how much the game has changed. There were muggings on the ice that weren't called by the one referee. Calgary gave the Kings 10 power plays in the game, and that's not counting all the interference penalties that would be called today.
Seriously, the game was skating north-south, with defensemen carrying the puck into the zone, with very little dump and chase. Filled with players interfering every time the puck came within five yards of them. Oh, and even worse, was the times when players were actually dragged down with no penalty called.
And Gary Roberts of the Flames absolutely lost his mind at the end of regulation. He didn't like getting called for a penalty, and he pushed over another King as he argued. And he argued. And argued all the way to the penalty box. In today's game, he probably would have picked up another two minutes and probably a 10 minute misconduct.
Oh, and in today's game, the Kings probably would have lost the game. The apparent Calgary goal in the first overtime might have been upheld with the use of video replay, especially with all the extra camera angles that are available these days. The angles they had available on the Prime Ticket broadcast in 1990 could not conclusively make the call, but I bet they could've today.
That game, by the way, I remember watching live. I was still living at my parents house (I was less than a year out of high school at that point), sitting in the same space on the couch I always did when I watched Kings games (superstitious much?). It was the Saturday before Easter, and the game ended just after midnight on Easter Sunday. And I was celebrating the win while trying not to be too loud as to wake up the rest of the family.
Watching the games has been a nice holdover to the real hockey season. Especially since I can watch the games without the stress of wondering if they're going to play well enough to win (because as Bob Miller said during the studio parts of the broadcasts, they're not going to show a Kings' loss during Kings Classics).
And just think, training camp is a little more than a month away.

Joining the Human Race Again

2009-07-28T01:25:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was a good day.
Best I've had in, I don't know how long (vacation excluded).
Tuesday's are the end of the weekend for me, and they're always difficult to deal with, usually because I end up alone.
I normally end up shopping. Costco. Target. Stater Bros. Making sure that the house has enough food and supplies to last the coming week. And that's if I haven't already done it on Monday. Then it ends up with me dropping off Luc and coming home and catching up on rest.
But after the week back from vacation had, I needed to do something - anything - different.
Some of the highlights from the week back:

The car broke down. A new battery and starter later, and it's back on the road.

Housing issues involving Gina's family, that somehow involve us. Somehow, we always end up involved.

My 20-year high school reunion was this past Saturday, along with a big side event the Friday before.

Then there's Gina's dad, and his mess.
That mess is one I started writing about the other night, hoping it would make me feel better, and it wasn't. It was going nowhere and meant nothing.
But there is a post in there, and it's coming soon.
Anyway, the past week has been hell. And it's come down on me as hard as ever. You come back from a vacation, and you want to ease your way back into the grind. I got ground up from the very start. It left me angry, depressed and bitter. And it showed.
I spent the entire last weekend moping about my lack of a life. Let's face it, Mondays and Tuesdays are not exactly the best days to have off, because you're among the minority of people with the time off. And the work hours don't leave room for much after work to go hang out.
Take the reunion for example. I had been on the fence about going from the start, mostly because of the $80 per person cost. But the Friday night bar bash? I so would have been there.
But I couldn't. I had to work. Having just returned from vacation, and having spent half of my first day back dealing with a broken down car, not going in wasn't an option. And getting off at midnight, going from Riverside to Anaheim would have been probably a 45-minute drive (even with no traffic, remember the city streets), getting me there just in time for last call. Then it would have been another hour back home to Colton.
So after all that crap, I needed some time to find a way to unwind and decompress.
I went bowling.
Not particulary well, mind you. My first three rolls went straight into the gutter. I haven't been in at least three years, probably more.
For $8 and change, I got three games of bowling, shoes and a refillable drink (which I got two refills). And I got rid of some of my frustrations. For that price, I may have to find my bowling ball and make a few more return trips this summer.
And rather than just run another errand, I went to Best Buy to *ahem* browse. Really I went to see the video games and try them out, namely the Wii and Punch-Out. It was my first time playing anything on the Wii. And gotta say, I'm impressed with the system. And Punch-Out is pitch perfect to my memories (I played without the nunchuks, opting for the classic controller).
So I feel almost human again.
Of course, there's a fix to all this. Get another job. But that's easier said than done. One went up on a job board that would be great - except that it's in Santa Monica ... and features the same nights and weekends ... sigh.
I think in the end, the realities of my life have changed. I'm no longer OK with having to choose between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Or Halloween or Easter (which, aren't paid holidays).
Obviously having a child changed a lot of that. But it's not just that. It's just the feeling around the office. It's nowhere near the same as it was 10 years ago. Hell, even three years ago.
But that's a dissertation for another time. I've droned on about my life long enough.
Besides, I have to go to work later this afternoon.

High School Confidential

2009-07-22T12:32:00.000-07:00

Recently, one of my friends on Facebook, and a former classmate, had been scanning in and posting photos from high school, and it stirred some memories.
But I don't have any photos easily at my disposal. Now, I know what the Loara grads reading this are thinking: "How can the guy who carried a camera with him for two years during high school not have photos?" Well... I think I tossed all the negatives. Besides, they were all in black and white. It's either that or they're at my parents house, so they're not going to be easy to find.
And seeing as my 20-year reunion is this weekend, I figured I'd throw out some of the memories that have stuck in mind all these years.
First off, lets get one thing straight, looking back, I was a lot like Jason Biggs' character in "American Pie," I was a lot like a band geek, but was never in the band. I did play sports, and was on the newspaper, but I was a bit of a geek. Oh well, what are you going to do?
Anyway, on to some of those memories, most of which are worth looking back and laughing. Oh, and in some cases, I'll omit the names to protect the sorta innocent.

* Freshman year of baseball, and we played a game at Mater Dei. On the way back from Santa Ana, we were stuck in traffic. Alongside our bus pulled a car with a, for lack of a better term, hot blonde inside. Everyone took their look and was pretty pleased. And apparently she was reveling in the attention to a certain degree. Well, until one person (and yes, I remember who) took it a step further. He started communicating the woman with sign language. And he asked for a little *ahem* sexual favor.
At that point, she had a bit of sign language for him: The Bird.

* The soccer team had its share of adventures. There were the brawls with Los Al (including one that involved some food being thrown from our bus). There was one player finding relief on the sideline at Esperanza. And speaking of Esperanza, Eric Smith took out some frustrations by stepping on the back of one of the Aztec players. And Matt Drager helping lead the group trying to get the bus driver to leave without a coach freshman year. And we nearly made it out of the school's parking lot, too.

* The day after the junior-senior Powder Puff war (why did they ever cancel that game?), one of the participants was mulling the results of the night before. And our cheerleader/songleader was disappointed that many of the water balloons she filled didn't pop when she threw them. I mean, why wouldn't the condoms she was using as water balloons break? By the way, how cool was it that our class swept the two Powder Puff games (well, except for all the serious injuries suffered)?

* Watching the baseball team implode in 1987 after the two players were busted on the Lompoc trip. That was probably the best major sports class while we were there, with their football and wrestling league titles. They probably would have won the baseball title if not for the transgressions. The football team's Empire League title was the last by a school not named Los Alamitos or Esperanza until those two schools were moved out to a higher league.

* Seeing the reaction of everyone the morning of the Northridge earthquake. I was in zero period baseball that morning, and we had gone a long run, so my legs were a little wobbly any way. But standing in the junior court it was pretty funny to watch everyone react. All at once, everyone abandoned their lockers and ran to the center of the court. It all happened in an instant, but it was a sight to see.

* Freshman year having Coach Conroy as my history teacher. The man was, how do I put this delicately, the worst teacher ever. The first semester, we were using Mrs. Wilcott's classroom during her conference period, and she hated him. There were only like 14 of us in the class at the time, so it was hard to miss any of the things that were happening. His personality alone made you feel a little uncomfortable around him, almost like he was gay, but overcompensating for it by wanting to seem interested in the girls in the class. It was creepy.
One day, he made a bet with some of the people in the class (I was Switzerland, and was to be the judge in the bet) over "Little House on the Prairie." To settle the bet he sent me to the coach's office to track down the TV and VCR so we could watch it in class. As a freshman, going into the coach's office (and seeing Coach Hill there) was quite intimidating. But I brought it back to the class and we watched. Second semester we were in Mr. Braun's class and then he was gone at the end of the year.

* Then there were some of the other teachers.
Mr. Barron and his whole Chester A. Arthur obsession.
Mr. Sadler's poor woe-is-me monotone voice that I had to sit and listen to during fifth period (after lunch) for two straight years. That was a struggle staying awake.
Mrs. Kretsinger's sharp knowledge of the English language and diagramming sentences. To a degree, she sent me on the way to my life as a writer. And the class was great because we didn't read any of the books the other English classes were reading.

That's all I have for now. If I come up with any others, I'll add them. And if you have any stories, feel free to post them here in the comments.

Wrapping things up

2009-07-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here at home on Tuesday night staring at the end of the vacation.
Oh well. What are you going to do?
The past two weeks have been amazing. The whole trip was exactly what was needed. No worrying about the future of journalism, no worrying about layoffs and no dealing with the California summer heat.
But all good things can not last forever, so I head back to the job to see exactly what and how much has changed in two weeks. But before I get there, I think I'll take one more trip around Costa Rica...

Before leaving, we did take a trip out to see some of the environmental areas that many American tourists go to. A friend of Gina's cousin runs tourists out to the sites, and that was good enough for us. He charged us $180, which was pretty good, considering we had been looking at spending $250 or so to be part of a group. Instead, we were on our own.
He took us out to see the Arenal volcano, a two-plus-hour drive from the house in Ciudad Colon. We passed by farms growing sugar cane, coffee and plantains. We passed by farms with cows and a bunch of roadside stands selling queso palmetto, a fresh cheese that Gina likes enough that we brought some home.
Then things got interesting.
There are the bridges, that only accommodate cars going one way at a time, with everyone on their best behavior, yielding for the other side. Then there was the piece of the highway along the mountain that had fallen off thanks to the amazing amount of moisture they receive in the area every year.
As we got closer to the volcano, it became obvious we probably weren't going to see much of the mountain. It was raining (it is surrounded by rain forest after all) and very cloudy. We got to the town of La Fortuna (more on it in a bit), where we should have been able to see it, and there was nothing but clouds.
But we pressed on up past the resorts (where the tour guide told us people went to get away from everything) and the ecotourism locations (with the canopy zip lines and Tarzan swings). We stopped at the edge of the Arenal lake, alongside the volcano to stretch our legs and hope for a chance to see the volcano.
Then, in an effort to get closer, the tour guide recommended taking a ride on the lake on one of the tour boats. He helps negotiate a price of $100 (we got a discount since Gina's a Tico).
So we climb down to the boat and hop on. The captain is pretty cool, and lets Luc sit at the wheel and let him steer. And Luc is happy to be doing it. At one point, Luc figured out how to lift the motor out of the water, prompting the captain to tell our guide that we were in trouble, because the boy is smart.
The view from the boat is beautiful. You get a really good look at the rain forest that sits along its shores. Only problem was that most of the animals weren't out because of the rain.
Oh, the rain.
It was wet and windy. And no matter which direction we were facing, the rain would find a way to get us under the canopy on the top of the boat.
But a little water never hurt anyone, and we pressed on, hoping to see the active volcano.
No such luck. The best we got was maybe the bottom third of the mountain.
We turned around and headed back into town and had some lunch, then took in the sights in La Fortuna.
Wanna know why it's called La Fortuna? Cause they're making a fortune off the American tourists who come through.
There's a store to cater to every taste of souvenir hunter. Artists hawking their wares. And don't forget all those spa resorts up the road. And banks aplenty for those who need to get more money.
It was an experience well worth the $280 we ended up paying for it.

The whole Costa Rica experience was one that will be with us for a while. It was hard to want to leave, even though we knew we had to.
It's hard to wrap it all up in a few short, pithy paragraphs. But I'll try to give you a few things to know in case you want to go.
* The country is very hilly. Not quite to the degree of San Francisco, but you will be climbing hills while walking around towns and driving.
* You shouldn't have problems getting around, even if you only have a basic California knowledge of Spanish. The traffic signs are pretty self explanatory, and if you know where you're going (do your research online), the taxi drivers will get you to the right place.
* Looking for a bar? Shouldn't be a problem. There are a lot of them, and almost all of them have a sign out front featuring one of the two national brands of beers: Imperial or Pilsen, followed by the name of the establishment, usually with the word Bar in the name.
* Similarly, restaurants that are more family friendly feature signs for soft drinks or a chicken company. And they also have the name restaurant in their name.
* If you're afraid of trying the local cuisine, not to worry, you'll find plenty of American brands. There's Denny's, McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Quiznos, Subway, Church's Chicken, Outback Steakhouse and ... Hooters. Yes, Hooters. We opted to stay away from the American options and came home just fine.
* Yes, a lot of places will accept US Dollars. But beware, each place will make its own exchange rate. You're better off changing into Colones and paying that way. Oh, and because you are an American tourist, they will get as much from you as they can. The museum trip cost us $6 apiece. Locals pay 1,000 Colones a person.
* Your Visa or Mastercard debit card should be accepted without any problem. They'll charge you in Colones, and your bank will do the exchange rate and post it to your account.
* Don't go to the airport to come home with an empty wallet (or bank account). They charge a $27 per person departure tax for everyone leaving the country. And you have to pay it before you check in, then you have to fill out the immigration document on the back. Oh, and if you don't do it, the airport workers won't necessarily be helpful or patient with you for not knowing you had to do it.

So, that's about it. Actually, that's most of it. But the last bit will probably be a bitchfest about traveling with a 2-year-old and 72-year-old (who acts about like a 2-year-old).
I do have some random things I want to touch on as well this week, and I'm hoping to get a post of high school memories up before the end of the week (seeing as my 20-year reunion is Saturday).
All-in-all, it's good to be home. But I can't wait for my next vacation.

Pura vida!

2009-07-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

"Oh, the girl will take care of it in the morning."
That was the reply when Gina offered to help clean up after dinner earlier this week at her cousin's house in Ciudad Colon.
You see, Gina's cousin is a finacial consultant, having formerly been the first female head of a bank in Costa Rica. Her husband is a civil engineer. Their property includes two houses (one for her in-laws), a pool, a yard as big as my parents' house that has papaya and coconut trees and the office building for her consulting firm (that she runs with her father-in-law).
Also included in the house is a groundskeeper/caretaker of the property and household help, including, for lack of a better term, a maid. She makes the beds, cleans the house, does the dishes, puts out the food (she readily admits she's not a good cook, so we've been doing our share of cooking), does the laundry ... pretty much everything.
It's cool ... and a bit overwhelming at the same time. I mean, wow. How many of us, outside of staying at a hotel, have ever had the opportunity to have a maid?
I think that both of us are trying our best not to rely on her because, really, we're used to doing things ourselves. But there are just things that happen when we step away. And it's sorta nice.
Oh, and as I'm writing this, their private dance instructor just showed up. Both her cousin and husband aren't home yet, so Gina and I are looking at each other: dance instructor? Really!?!?
Oh well, I suppose we could move down here and live this sort of life.
But why would I want to give up on the glamour and prestige of a career in journalism?

Being stuck without transportation while on vacation sucks. Thanks to years of abuse, we don't have the room to secure a rental, so we stayed at the house all day Wednesday.
Deciding we couldn't just waste away the vacation in a house (no matter how big and spacious and beautiful), we hopped the bus to San Jose.
For 310 colones apiece (that's roughly 70 cents, depending on the exchange rate you get at the bank), we were taken the 20 kilometers - hooray for the metric system - from Ciudad Colon into the capital San Jose.
San Jose is a big, crowded, dirty city. We decided to take in a little bit of culture, so we went to the national museum and saw the history of the country. Unfortunately for us, two of the exhibits were closed. One was the butterfly garden, which was one of the things we had hoped to see in town. Oh well.
But what we did see was interesting. They had part of one of the forts that guarded the town in the early days, before they decommissioned the army. And a complete history of the country, and how its diversity shaped the region.
We then walked down to a busy pedestrian mall. Gina describes it as "Santa Monica, without the ocean." You've got shopping centers with food courts. Lots of little shops, like those you'd see along the streets of New York. Shops selling everything from clothes to jewelry to souveniers. All old, a bit dirty but kinda quaint.
And crowded. A whole mass of people trying to share the same space while people trying to sell pirated DVD's set up shop on the ground (Ice Age 3 and Up were two of the titles I saw).
Everyone in the shops we went to were very nice. And the taxi drivers were knowledgeable, helpful AND nice.
We warned to watch our things, so we didn't take any pictures of the area.
So, that was the day.
One more full day, then a full day of travel home.
More thoughts then.

Things I've learned so far

2009-07-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

This trip has been amazing so far. It's been so nice to not be at work and not have the stresses of home.
But coming to a new country and getting to know the lay of the land, as it were, can be daunting. Especially as guests in relatives' houses.
AS I mentioned in Monday's Random Thoughts, I've been working on my Spanish, and noticed that getting around can be a challenge, depending on where you are.
But there are a couple of other things that we in the US tend to take for granted that aren't quite the same here.
First off, get used to cold showers. With all the humidity there is, it's not too terrible to deal with, but man... it's seriously cold. Especially in the older houses and neighborhoods.
Today, before heading out to stay with one of Gina's cousins in a newer area, I was able to sneak in and get a brief lukewarm shower. And I mean brief. The warm water was there and gone in a minute.
A quick check of things out here, and we have warm, even hot water. No worries for the next couple of days. And that will be refreshing.
Speaking of getting things clean, well, there are no dryers. Your clothes drying system is the same one they've had for hundreds of years: The clothesline.
Wash your clothes in the washing machine (which, we "broke" at Gina's uncle's house; a simple repair we hope), then hang them up to dry.
Most of the houses have set aside roofed areas for their clotheslines, allowing the air and sun to get through, but not the rain. It really can't stop the moisture in the air, which meant that all our cotton socks had to spend the night outside, and were cold and damp in the morning. And with the way the weather shifts around here, you definitely are taking your chances.
So, that's the latest from vacation. We've finally got some images into a computer and should start sharing soon. Until then, have a good one.

Varios pensamientos para Lunes

2009-07-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hello from vacation. Just thought I'd drop in with a few random thoughts from our trip, so far.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Getting in, I was drenched. Sweat caused from carrying bags and baby were not helped by a choking amount of humidity as we touched down in San Jose. Welcome to life near the equator.
Then comes the fun of driving in this country. The highways are in pretty good shape, but everyone drives like a maniac, diving to and fro to get to their destination.
After our arrival, we went to get some food (read about it on Gina's blog), and got our first surprise: Denny's is here now. Of course, it's up near the airport and the tourist areas, so it shouldn't be too much of a surprise.
We made our way into the town where Gina's family lives, and make sure you buckle up (though no one seems to care if you do) because you're going on a bumpy ride. The streets here are so filled with potholes that it would be enough to cost someone an election in the US. Deep and wide. People swerve back and forth across lanes to get around them. Seriously, some are big enough that they'd swallow your car.
The middle class here live in nice houses that are fortified by security. Apparently crime here is growing, so many have taken serious steps to protect themselves. Gina's uncle alone has locked gates, with razor wire across the top of the 10-foot wall. From the garage, you have a locked gate before you can go up the steps to the house, where you'll find a locked door with alarm. That describes most of the houses in this part of town.
Other parts of town, however, are what you would expect from a country that is still considered by many second world. Houses with old, gathered pieces of wood with rusted tin roofs and garbage. But it's there spot in the world, and they protect it any way they can.
The weather's been a mixed bag. From the humidity when we arrived, we were treated to rain on Friday evening. For the most part, however, it's been mild. Though being at all the family gatherings has made for some overheating.
As for me, I'm a bit of a giant here. There are certain things that remind me that the average person here is a bit smaller. The bed we're staying on is nice, but a bit short (my feet hang off the end).
Gina's grandmother's house (where she's lived 80 of her 100 years) is only 5 yards wide in the main living area. They also added on to the home, and they didn't quite get the doors to a standard height, so you have to duck to get into the back part. The house was bursting at the seems Friday during a celebration. Getting 60 people into there made for some cramped quarters.
All in all, it's been a nice trip so far. It's nice to know we're done with the celebrations and we'll be able to see some other sights now, before we have to come home.

EN ESPAÑOL: One thing about being down here, immersed in the culture, has put my three years of Spanish education to the test.
Most of Gina's family has a pretty good grasp on English (they are a well-educated bunch), but they're all pushing me to communicate in Spanish. I'm giving it a good go, but a lot of times I feel like I'm just smiling and saying gracías or sí or no or ¿que?
And the confusion doesn't end there.
First, there's the whole monetary system. We exchanged some of our money, and every dollar is worth about 750 colones. But you get down to the smaller parts of the denomination, and the stores pretty much round it off. We made a purchase of 2410 colones ($4.13), and I gave them 2500 in bills. Rather than give me 90 (very small change), I got 100 back. Easier to deal with for the stores.
Then there's the keyboard I'm pounding this column out on. It's sorta the normal QWERTY keyboard. Except for that key dedicated to Ñ. Or the accent mark in the place of an apostrophe. And the dedicated key for the upside down question mark. And typing Web addresses is slower when you have to look for the back slash up with the numbers.

SECOND IMPRESSIONS: Gina's family has been abosultely lovely to me and Luc from the start. It's been an amazing time surrounded by all these family members whom I've never met and, in some cases, may never meet again.
Luc has been the absolute facination of the parties. The active 2-year-old with the light blond hair. And as you can imagine, there aren't a lot of blond's around here (OK, he's the ONLY one). One member of the family lovingly described him as a little candle, since he's tall, thin and very bright on top.
But one of the things that sticks out from the weekend's events was how much everyone in Gina's family wanted to know how I was doing and what my opinion of everything.
What do you think of the family? Are we crazy? Are you doing OK? Are you hot? Are you tired? And what do you think of the family? No, really, what do you think? Are we all a little bit loco? What do you think of the party? Isn't it beautiful? Are you having a good time? Really? And what do you think of all this and the family?
If only I was exaggerating.
But I smile and compliment everyone. Because, truly, they have been gracious hosts, putting up with a gringo who understands maybe half of what they're saying on the first try, and can't respond to them with enough gratitude for an amazing weekend of fiestas in amazing locales.
But more on those later.
For now, I need some more rest. I'm making some of my salsa later.

In the News

2009-07-08T01:30:00.000-07:00

QUITTER: So, Sarah Palin resigned as governor of Alaska.
Woo-hoo!
Actually, in reality, it's probably not happy news for those of us who want her to just go away. It means she's free to roam, go on the airwaves and maybe shudder run for President.
The one thing that has been a constant since the election has been her weighing in on the issues. She didn't go away quietly, like other failed Vice Presidential nominees have.
We had her showing up after her granddaughter was born. Then she was around after David Letterman made the joke. And now, the day before we celebrated our country's Independence, she was out there again, grabbing the spotlight again. And even since she's resigned, people are paying attention to what she's doing.
We have a term for people like that: MEDIA WHORE.
She got a taste of it during the election, and now she's gorging on it. And worse, she's going to continue finding her way in front of the camera.
Here she was, a pretty much someone no one outside of Alaska had ever heard of (seriously, how many governors outside your state can you name?). She shot to stardom thanks, in part, the her resemblance to Tina Fey, which is just as good an excuse to break out this:

And as the constant laughs brought her more attention, the more people thought that maybe they had something there. With her folksiness and her "down-home" attitude, she became the star of the heartland.
Unfortunately for us in the "brainland," having someone who looks good only works when you're selling entertainment -- you know, movies, TV shows and magazine covers.
Which, hopefully, will be the route she chooses. I'd rather see her become the "white Oprah" (as Tina Fey said in another sketch) or the female Rush Limbaugh than see her parade around the country for the next three-to-four years trying to drum up support to send her to the White House.

THIS WAS IT: We've had the memorial service, so hopefully things will die down a bit with the Michael Jackson coverage. Likely not, I'm sure, since ratings probably were through the roof for any kind of news special anyone could drum up.
But Tuesday's event provided a fitting end point for those of us who could care less about the final resting place and legal fights still to ensue.
Let's face it, when you have the young daughter, in front of a worldwide audience, feeling the loss of her daddy, anyone watching had to lose it, even just a little bit.
The event was nice as a whole, to move past the bizarre behavior, weird incidents and court cases and just remember the person who ENTERTAINED us.
Michael Jackson may have turned into this weird and bizarre manchild to many people around the world these past few years. But in the end, who were we to judge? We didn't live his life. We didn't have the advantages that his wealth brought. And we sure as hell didn't have his talent for singing and dancing.
He was sent in front of a jury of his peers (or, the closest substitutes that could be found) and was judged not guilty. People may have their opinion on what happened in that case, and in his bedroom, but in the end, it's just that -- their opinion.
And now, he's faced the ultimate judge. The one entity that will judge us all in the end. One day, we may find out what that judgement was, but until then, let's just shut the hell up about what was or wasn't. Enjoy what the man brought to the world in his 40+ years in showbiz.
Because in the end, it will be the music that will live on, as it does with every artist who left us too soon.

IS IT PUCK SEASON YET?: A few quick thoughts about hockey before I sign off.
First off, it was nice to see the Kings "win" a trade on paper for a change. The addition of Ryan Smyth should provide a good veteran presence on the team's top line, and give support for young center Anze Kopitar as he grows into a stronger player and greater leader.
Yeah, it was tough to have to give up Kyle Quincey to get him, especially after the way he performed after we picked him up off the waiver wire. But, in the terms of assets, general manager Dean Lombardi got a tough, scoring left wing in exchange for a defenseman he got for free in Quincey, a draft pick and a salary draining defenseman who wasn't even on the club's roster at the end of last season.
Second, I've said it before and I'll say it again: We had a lockout and lost a season for this?
The way GM's were throwing their money at players, you'd think the league was swimming in money and was going to be immune to the financial problems plaguing the world.
You know, Mike Cammaleri's a nice player and all, and had a career year playing alongside one of the best players in the game, but $6 million a year? Wow. And 12-year contracts? And ... wow.
These guys are taking us right back to the types of money that caused the league to have a year-long work stoppage. Let's hope they can all figure this out and not have another one when the owners look at their bottom lines after this coming season is all said and done.

That's all I got for now. Have a good day.

What do you remember about elementary school?

2009-07-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what can trigger a memory.
Most recently for me, it was two things. Earlier Monday, I read another one of those Facebook survey notes. And as the day went on, a story came across my desk about the first day of school for year-round students in Riverside County. And poof, it happened.
I rattled off, in my head, my seven teachers from elementary school. Kindergarten through sixth grade. All of them. I was so amazed, that I went ahead and posted the names in my Facebook status.
Seven women who shaped my life, all in certain ways: Mrs. Michael, Mrs. Hershey, Mrs. Helms, Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Freitag, Mrs. Liles and Ms. Young.
But it wasn't just the teachers, there were other things that came back. Some funny, some embarrassing, some just weird.
Maybe it's the upcoming 20th high school reunion that has jarred some of these loose. Or maybe it's just that I'm actually taking a vacation. But anyway, here's some of the things that jarred loose.

Mrs. Freitag was an older woman who was judged mean as a teacher could be, earning the nickname "Mrs. Fry-frog." But everyone was right beside her when her apartment was one that was lost in the big fire along Palm Lane in Anaheim. A bunch of the tall palms blew in the wind, knocking down power lines and setting a whole row of apartments. One of the greatest disasters in modern Anaheim history.

Mrs. Morris, at a parent-teacher conference, telling my mom that if I wanted to kiss the girls (for some reason, I would spend some recesses chasing the girls, looking for kisses ... got me), I could kiss her (she was pregnant at the time). I stopped after that.

In sixth grade, we got a new student. Her name was Carol Oh. And being sixth graders, there was a lot of smart alek comments being made about her name. And Jennifer Hanna, came along and told her not to worry, that it'll get old. Me, being one of the smart alek's, made sure to remind her of the ribbing she constantly got about her name, in regard to the cartoons made by Hanna-Barbera. (Sorry, Jen.)

The naiveness of being young and sheltered that showed when the first Mexican students joined the school. Jose Guerra was his name, if my memory is holding up well, and the amount of teasing (very racist when you look back on it) that he had to deal with ... It was a lot.
And we also watched as more and more, the school became a melting pot, as children from the Middle East and Asia moved in to the neighborhood. And what's sorta weird as I look back on it, despite her parents very traditional Indian ways (they lived up the street from us), I don't think Shalini Patel was ever treated differently than anyone else. I'm probably wrong, but I hope not.

Mrs. Liles catching on that my parents pulled a fast one on her when reading my state report. We were supposed to do a state we had never been to and knew nothing about. I was out sick the day the states were assigned, and my mom worked and worked and got her to give me Utah ... where we tended to go on our summer vacations to visit family, and the previous summer had gone to visit the national parks. About 20 Utah shaped pages in was a note that said something to the effect of "Boy, I wish I could have gone there."

Speaking of Mrs. Liles, she had problems managing her blood sugar, and so every morning, we had a snack time in her class. Something healthy to eat, since she had to as well. That, and the fact that she let us bring in our handheld electronic games on rain days, made her a favorite at the school.

Adam Dove was the king of Halloween costumes. He and his parents went all out every year with just amazing get ups. In sixth grade, I though we had him. We went out and got all the clothes, and my dad made a foam hammer, so I could be Mario, from Super Mario Bros. (My brother that year was a Pac-Man ghost.) But it was not to be, as Adam showed up in a costume as a dragon (complete with smoke coming from the nostrils if I remember right). Such are the things we worry about in school.
-----
It's funny, all these memories. The thing is, my parents are still in contact with some of my classmates' parents. They tell me about running into so-and-so's mom at the store and I get to hear about how that person is doing.
Before Russ Tamblyn's parents moved, there were a couple of events that we stopped by at and there were more. Everyone still remembers volunteering for the PTA, in classrooms and on the youth sports fields. They remember the parties we'd have for Halloween and Valentine's Day (ones that a lot of kids today don't get).
Anyway, it's been a fun trip down memory lane. I know I have a trove of things I want to write (embarass others) about high school (in honor of said 20th reunion). I'll get to them soon.

Wednesday's Random Thoughts

2009-07-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah. Two days late and all that (I actually started writing this Tuesday morning). But we all need our rest (and time with our kids).

OLE, OLE, OH NO: We soccer fans in the US were treated to the most euphoric 45 minutes of our lives. Up 2-0 on Brazil?!? And it wasn't a fluke? And no goals from the penalty spot? Wow.
But in the back of all our minds had to be the reality: It was Brazil, and they weren't going to go down without a fight. And sure enough, before we got comfortable for the second half, Brazil cut the lead in half. And by the time the full time was over, the 2-0 lead had turned into a 3-2 loss.
And as disappointing as the loss was, it was good to see the reaction of the team afterward. After a week of being questioned about their resolve and their competitive nature, there was genuine disappointment on the face of the players. No satisfaction at earning US Soccer's first silver medal at a FIFA competition.
Landon Donovan's comment afterward, about the team being beyond wanting respect, "we want to win," was perfect. This is a team that knows that if they're ever going to be respected around the world (and even at home), they're going to neeed to win, and win on the world stage.
You could see the team running out of gas. It was dump and regroup. Dump and regroup. And that's including the getting the break of the no goal call in the second half, with Tim Howard making the save on what replays showed was a goal.
But there were a couple of other things that jumped out at me afterward.
First, why wait so long for the first substitue? You see the guys gassed like that, maybe you get some fresh legs in a little sooner. I realize that the options for Bob Bradley were limited, especially with his son suspended for a red card, but a set of fresh legs couldn't have hurt.
Second, where was the extra defender on the back post. Even with every Brazilian marked, why isn't one more person back on that post? How many goals have been stopped with that extra body there?
All in all, a silver medal isn't anything to hang your head about, especially after the way the team played the first two games of the tournament. Now the key is to build on it. Hopefully with a strong showing in Mexico.

SHOW ME THE MONEY: The trip is rapidly approaching, and I think we're pretty much ready. Except for one small, tiny detail.
Passports.
For Luc and I, specifically.
We applied for them as soon as we decided to make the trip (and had the money in hand to pay for it). That was four weeks ago. And because of the new law, they say it's taking four-to-six weeks to process.
So, I've been actively checking online for status updates on our passports. You go and check, and the best update you can get is that it's "being processed." And what does that mean, exactly? No one seems to know.
It says on the site that if you're traveling within two weeks, call in and check further, because they will be able to "update you on the status of your application."
So I make the call. The answer I get: "It's being processed." Ohhhhhkaaayyy...
I start asking for more. The answer is the same. Until I get the pitch, "Well, you can apply for it to be expidited."
Sigh. I turn them down Friday, and call again Monday.
I actually get a competent person on the phone this time. We go through the same details. And the answer is the same. Finally, I break down and ask, what does "In Process" mean?
The woman on the other end is sympathetic enough to tell me the truth: "That's all they tell us. We don't know any more about it than it's in process."
Government beauracracy at its best.
At this point, we're less than 10 days (less by the time you read this) and I go ahead and pay to have it expidited. At another $60 per passport. Oh, and I turn down the extra $15 it would have cost for them to FedEx overnight it.
Mind you, this expidited service still doesn't guarantee that it'll arrive before next week's deadline for our trip. If it's not here, we have to go to the federal building in LA (or San Francisco, those are the two closest) to get it.
Meanwhile, Gina's new replacement passport (she's had one previously) was turned around in two weeks. So it's not like it takes six weeks to cut out the photo, laminating the photo in, print out the book and send it out.
My sympathetic operator said that they need to call different agencies and check on information. So, I give them a bit of a pass on trying to track down my stuff. I'm 39 years old and have never had a passport. Maybe it's taking a little longer to check on these things.
But my 2-year-old? What's taking them so long? Does he have a long criminal history? The woman on the other end cracked up. I think she understood the frustration and humor in the situation.
So, I sit and wait. Dreading the idea of having to go to LA with a 2-year-old. The day before we are supposed to get on a plane for Costa Rica. Oh, and I'll probably have to go to OC along the way and pick up NEW copies of our birth certificates (at $17 apiece), since the passport agency currently has ours.
So, word to the wise. If you don't have a passport, do it now. Scrape up the $100 ($75 for the passport, another $25 for the post office or other person processing it) and get it done long before you'll ever need it. Especially now that you need it to go back and forth into Mexico and Canada.

OK, I'm done bitching. Will try to get some more up the rest of the week.

Friday Morning Quarterback

2009-06-26T01:30:00.000-07:00

Maybe more later on the promised fast food reviews, but the news of the day warrant my attention.

The news came down in a hurry. The wires were trying as fast as they can to keep up with the Internet. And the rest of us waited for someone, other than TMZ, to make it official.

That didn't stop people around the world to begin posting their memorials on Facebook and Twitter. The news feeds were buzzing, and causing Web sites to load slowly.

And then the TV stations went on full-time campouts at the hospital, outside the rented house, at Neverland and at the Jackson family compound.

Michael Jackson was dead. And the world reacted.

A lot of people commented on this being similar to when Elvis Presley died, and I'd have to agree. But when Elvis died, there was no Twitter. There was no Facebook. No text messages or cell phones or tabloid Web sites posting photos. No instant access to the latest news and gossip.

And no jackasses posting news about other celebrities being "dead."

TMZ was out in front of the story. And every other news organization looked at that and waited for someone else to make it official. The hospital, a member of the family or another "reputable" news organization.

But I think we have to start to acknowledge something us in the mainstream media are reticent to admit: TMZ -- for all its tabloid, in-your-face, gotcha reporting -- is a legitimate enough news organization that can break real news.

I think back to an interview TMZ's Managing Editor (and face) Harvey Levin did on KROQ with Kevin and Bean. He was talking about the fiasco surrounding Nadya Suleman, and even he was amazed at the crush of people swarming around her when she brought the first of the octuplets home. He spoke as a journalist, not as someone wanting to exploit someone to the masses.

These people have the sources. They have the freedom to write, and write quickly. They aren't tied down by old school ethics (you know, little things such as paying for information and not becoming a part of their own story). And they aren't burdened by some wannabe corporate climbing editor who is covering their own ass or waiting to take the credit for the success that someone else provided.

Meanwhile, as the word became official, TV news devolved into time filling reporting out at the aforementioned hot spots. And fill time they did.

I had the live feed from CBS running on my computer, hoping to hear any eventual press conference. And as we waited, we went to reporters who were grasping at anything.

The reporter at Jackson's rental house was screaming at any car that drove up. He was in full tabloid mode, trying to get whomever was in that car to talk, even before knowing who it was. And screaming at the cops, or anyone else, who went into the house. And people passing by the neighborhood. Great stuff.

Then there was the reporter sent out to Hollywood. The one who went to the Michael Jackson star on the Walk of Fame ... the one for the talk radio host. Seems the one for Little Michael was covered over by the premiere of "Bruno."

Fans were there, too. Singing. Badly (thus prompting my Facebook status update). And there were the parents who loved Michael and passed their love to their children. And oh the sadness. And the singing. And the love. And the really annoying SINGING. And the reporter didn't help, because he was egging them on.

Back at the hospital, reporters were mobbing each other, waiting for a press conference. Then there was the stampede to a new news conference location. And the questions of when it was going to start. And the stalling. And the talking about what they know ... which wasn't much.

Meanwhile, I sat at my computer, trying to balance the breaking Jackson news with the rest of the news we were reporting. And the NBA Draft. Oh, and Farrah Fawcett dying as well.

But I actually had two thoughts about Jackson, and tried to hold them in because, well they weren't politically correct or sensitive to the death of someone who meant something to so many people.

First, the happiest person in the nation about Jackson's death had to be Governor Mark Sanford. He went from being the most talked about person in America to an almost forgotten entity. His story went from the front page to a brief in most every paper in the nation.

On the other end of the spectrum is Phil Anschutz, and his entertainment corporation AEG. They just lost 50 dates of concerts at one of their signature venues. That's a lot of revenue that just went down the drain. Think of all the preparations that already went into the shows. The merchandise alone probably cost them in the millions. And it's not like you can go out and still sell it.

And that was day one. You know this story will still be going all weekend. Prepare yourself for at least another three days of news reports and retrospectives.

Meanwhile, in the sports world

2009-06-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

The US Men's Soccer team will play for the Confederations Cup championship on Sunday after shocking Spain, the world's top team, in the semifinals.
I didn't get a chance to watch either the US wins over Egypt or Spain. I've forgotten the games were on, and was probably watching "Spongebob Squarepants."
After the Egypt win, my reaction was "No f'ing way." Not because the US beat Egypt, because the US should beat the Egypts of the world. But because of the paired result (Brazil's 3-0 win over Italy) that allowed the US into the semifinals.
Quick aside to the so-called sports experts on TV: How do you want to break a 3-way tie in a soccer tournament? You can't go with head-to-head, since they all beat each other. And you can't go back to head-to-head once you've eliminated a team on goal differential. So what's next? What stat are you going to use to break that tie? Huh? I'm waiting.
OK, back to the US. Watching the highlights and breakdowns of the victory over Spain, I kept waiting for the voice over to change to those of the instant coffee hidden camera commercials of the 70s and 80s.
We've secretly replaced the Gatorade of the US soccer team with one with added elements to allow them to play with more heart and guts. Let's see if they can tell the difference.
Before these two impressive wins, I think there was a bit of panic amongst the people who follow soccer in this country. There were calls for coach Bob Bradley to be fired.
But a few lineup changes, most of which were obviously necessary, and an added "never-say-die" attitude, and the US is playing for a FIFA championship. I don't think it gets Bradley off the hook in the long term, but it likely gets him a pass to the World Cup.
Which has become part of the problem. We're supposed to go to the World Cup now. There's no danger of the US not making the World Cup any more. There needs to be progress shown in international play (outside of the region).
And while it's obvious that the skill level is still lacking, the US needs to play with guts and heart and a "never-say-die" attitude if they're ever going to go on to greater things on the world soccer stage.
Enjoy Sunday's final, because it'll be a historic, and probably, once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. An American team playing in a FIFA final.
(And how weird is it to hear the announcers in the Brazil-South Africa game say the winner has the right to play the US in the final. Absolutely bizarre.)

Shaq off to Cleveland, eh? It makes sense for all the parties involved.
Shaq gets to play with LeBron and take a shot at the one more title, and LeBron gets an experienced hand to clog up the middle to give him a real shot to finally get his hands on the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
But can this partnership really work? Can Shaq take the role of second (or third) banana on a team that has been anointed a favorite to make the NBA Finals? And more importantly, can he stay healthy to play the nearly 100 games it will take to get to next June's finals?
And how important is it now for Cleveland to get that title NOW? You've got one year with Shaq (though, you gotta think he won't go quietly into retirement after this year) and LeBron together before LeBron be can take his ball and leave.
And what of LeBron? How will a title for him be looked at in history when he had to have Shaq with him to win it? Obviously, Shaq's legacy is complete already, winning all the titles he has with the support of Kobe and Wade.
But Kobe's won one now without him. Will LeBron be able to win one without Shaq if he's able to win one with him? That question will haunt him if he isn't able to.
That's about all you'll get out of me about the NBA. Enjoy the draft.

Yes, Tuesday was a happy day in this household, as Luc Robitaille was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
With all the potential people who could have been named, there was that little seed of doubt amongst the national media types. But for us Southern California hockey fans, there was no doubt.
Lucky was a great ambassador for the game in the area besides being one of the greatest left wings to ever play the game. The fans love him, and he's loved the fans right back.
There's a reason ours is not the only Luc born to Southern California parents in the past 20 years or so.
Now, if we can only get a statue of Luc at Staples Center...

Thus ends the first day of double posting on this blog. And, hey, I even have a new fast food item (or maybe two by later tonight) to talk about for Friday. Hope I have the energy to write it...

The Ballad of South Carolina

2009-06-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

(Not perfectly to the tune of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina")

Don't cry for me South Carolina
I only went to Argentina
It wasn't a big deal
All I needed was a quick feel
To clear my head
And now I've lost my cred

Who knew those e-mails were public
You'd think I'd keep them private
After all, I scolded Clinton
Yet I was stroking a new kitten
Never mind my transgressions
Even though my state was in session

I guess I'm just another Republican
Out seeking higher poll numbers
And some would say I found them
At the end of a shorter hem
I never thought I'd change
But turns out I'm human
And wanted to search the range

I've spent my career
Preaching to others steer clear
Of sin and seduction
But like my colleagues
I've fallen off my steed
And broke my promise
To you great people
I've broke my promise
And ended up as another Republican creep

Laugh out loud

2009-06-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling a bit old recently.

Not old as in put-me-in-a-home old. Just outdated old. Nostalgic for the things that have come before.

Those of you paying attention to my status updates on Facebook may have noticed a pattern of movie quotes. Some of you were right on with the references. For others, however, the quotes didn't resonate the way they do for me.

Maybe it's because my moviegoing experiences of late have been ... pretty much nonexistent. And with a 2-year-old, sitting inside a theater is going to be a non-starter, and a drive-in will be a little more challenging than it was when he was a baby.

But even in the past few years, I can't really think of a whole lot of movies, comedies especially, that have inspired the love and affection that many of the films that we grew up with.

And most of all, the lines.

Maybe it's just the repeated viewings. Maybe it's just me getting older. But I'd like to think that comedies should provide those moments that keep you laughing over and over. And lines that you quote over and over.

Part of the problem, I know, is that many of my younger co-workers haven't EVEN seen any of the classic comedies of the 70s and 80s. No "Caddyshack." No "Blazing Saddles." Not even "Airplane." All movies that have shaped our lives.

Think to the more recent big-time comedies that you've seen in the past five or so years. How many have featured that great monologue? How many have had that one indelible line that you repeat over and over and becomes a part of the entire pop culture?

Many will point to "Napoleon Dynamite." That's great. Haven't seen it. Should have, probably, but haven't been able to work up the energy for it. And where's Jon Hader these days, by the way?

Me, the one film I can think of is "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." And there are two parts from it that stand out: Steve Carell yelling "Ohhhhhhh.... Kelly Clarkson!" in pain during the chest waxing scene. And, the other was Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen riffing: "You know how I know you're gay?"

And that came in an era when there were some pretty good comedies to see. From "Wedding Crashers" to "Knocked Up" to "Superbad," we got some very good, funny comedies. But other than "McLovin," how many of those films generated something memorable that permeated the entire pop culture public?

Before that, I have to go back to "American Pie" and "This one time, at band camp ..." for another line that I can remember becoming that memorable.

There's no more Rodney Dangerfield's telling his golfing partner, "I hear this place is restricted, Wang, so don't tell 'em you're Jewish, okay?" No Leslie Nielsen's staring up saying "Nice beaver." No Gene Wilder's finishing a pep talk with "You know, morons."

Hell, Bill Murray has a whole wing of great movie quotes. Between his roles in "Caddyshack," "Ghostbusters," and "Stripes," the man has a litany of lines that are repeated to this day. How many people still scream "IT'S IN THE HOLE!" after a golf shot? How about "That's the FACT, Jack!" from "Stripes?"

Today, it seems, everyone goes for the easy laugh. The fart joke. Bad language for bad language's sake. It's lazy comedy. But it generates laughs, so they continue to do it. And it disappointed me to see that "Year One" was reviewed as nothing more than one long fart joke, especially with the people on board on that movie.

I hear good things about "The Hangover," so I'm really looking forward to see it, and very hopeful for it to join in some of the classics.

And Lord (or whatever your Deity) knows, we can all use a good laugh about now.

Jon plus Kate equals Hate

2009-06-23T00:40:00.000-07:00

Everyone happy now? We just got to see a marriage disintegrate on national television.

Obviously, it was something that was going to happen in the long run. When you marry young and mature, you change, as these two certainly had. And having the kids only served to delay what was going to inevitably happen.

Jon got tired of being bossed around by the hot blond who said yes to him. And then there were the kids and then there was the commitments and the ... One day, he had to wake up and wonder where all those great years of partying he was supposed to do went.

And Kate, always with her bossing him around. Always putting him down. He looked like the little kid who was constantly being talked down to by his mom. This was going to happen to these two people ... eventually. He needed to grow up and she needed to ease up. And neither one of them wanted to give the other the satisfaction of making those changes.

But, there we were, in our tabloid world, pushing it along. Making it happen. He's out at some bar. She's in New York getting a haircut. He's sneaking out with some women. She's dating a bodyguard.

We were intruding into their private lives to the point that they became more infamous than Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears or Paris Hilton.

I know, what private lives? How can they have a private life when they were the ones who signed up for the TV series? But it's one thing to sign away your privacy, it's another to have everyone up in your business to the point that people were. These people had cars driving by their house like it was a tourist attraction.

Writing the three infamous names above, reminded me of something. We really haven't seen much out of those three lately. They've faded into a sort of obscurity lately. Behaving, well, almost normally.

And maybe that's why there's become this fascination with this ordinary couple with eight children. All the other tabloid favorites have packed up their toys and gone home (for now). Britney's not out flashing her hooch, Paris isn't banging some guy with a night vision camera and Lindsay's not driving down PCH hitting other cars (or breaking up with her girlfriend or throwing a tantrum on a set or ...).

So, now, another eight children will be faced with growing up in broken homes. With parents who won't speak to each other, other than to find out what time to pick them up, or grouse about their latest "mistake" raising their children. And, better yet, WE'RE STILL GOING TO FILM IT AND SEE IT ON OUR TV'S EVERY WEEK.

Some of my friends and former classmates on Facebook are going through the mess of a divorce with children. I watched as my niece and nephews dealt with their mom and dad splitting up. It's hell. And that's without cameras following them around, and the piles and piles of money that they got for being on a cable "reality" show.

In the end, those eight children are going to be stuck between two warring adults, who will one day, very likely ask them to make a choice: Mommy or Daddy.

And TLC will be there. Jumping up and down at the little ratings machine they've got on their hands. With advertisers galore wanting to get their products in front of the eyeballs that tune in each week to see the real life soap operas playing out in front of them. The same one that is playing out in communities across the country every day.

But since it's on TV, it can't be real. It can't really affect them.

And yet, more and more, it does. By continuing to watch, you're outright supporting the divorce. You're outright supporting that it's OK for the tabloids to splash every detail about people's lives on the cover of their magazine. Because it's anyone else's business but your own.

I have no desire to see this train wreck. We see enough of them every day across the world. Ones that have a lot more bearing on our day-to-day lives than a couple of young 30-somethings who got married too young, had a whole gaggle of children and then realized that they weren't right for each other, leaving said gaggle in the middle of what will be a very, VERY messy divorce hearing.

I for one won't be watching.

Hello Monday

2009-06-22T15:42:00.000-07:00

So, yeah it's been a few days. And since I am on my cell phone while my car gets a tune, I'm going to keep it brief.

So, what's been going on out there in the world?

Oh yeah, big game-changing protests in Iran. And everyone has been all atwitter. I say good for the people of Iran. Glad they finally want to stand up against the double standard of a government built around religious ideals.

The same ideals that said stop protesting peacefully (mostly) or we'll respond with violence.

If history has taught us nothing through the years, it's that when you are responding with violence, you are usually in the wrong and trying to hold on to what little shred of power you have.

Look at the civil rights movements here in the U.S. People trying to hold on to the status quo were willing to take the fight to the peaceful marchers. Tell me there is no parallel.

Quick Interactive Question: What reality/documentary style series on TV is your favorite? Which one are almost ashamed to admit watching/have watched.

More thought for tomorrow when I'll be back at a full size keyboard.

Monday's Random Thoughts

2009-06-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

ANNOYING BARBIE: Please make her go away.
Sarah Palin has worn out her welcome on my TV, Internet and wire services. Isn't there something she needs to be doing in Alaska?
The whole flap with David Letterman is just a distraction from the real things that need to be done in this country. Instead of worrying about health care reform or job creation, we're discussing the merits of a joke on a late night television show.
The joke, which I didn't see delivered, was marginal at best. It was an easy shot at a couple of easy targets. Let's face it, the joke was just as much a jab at Alex Rodriguez as it was at Bristol Palin.
But no, she's contorted it to be all about HER, to help play to her easily outraged base. The people who think that President Obama's a God-hating, socialist-leaning, cream puff who isn't going to protect America from a terrorist attack.
The same people who normally would look at a teen aged, single parent and judge them as a slut. A waste of space. A drain on society. But since it's Sarah's little girl, everything's OK, because she's going to make sure that all the other teens NEVER have sex and make the same mistake as her daughter.
It's that sort of double standard that the people making noise about the Republican party revel in. Don't judge us by our ACTIONS, judge us by what we SAY. And it's that act that's getting old.
More importantly, its those "acts" that are blockading real reform. Reform that many in the Republican party say they want and need to stay viable.
It's just another example of over-reactionary politics. Over a JOKE. You going to outlaw jokes next? Just because something says something marginally funny doesn't mean they really believe it. It's exaggeration. It's going for a laugh. It's FUNNY.
And if we can't laugh, then what do we really have?

RING-A-DING: Well, one week in, and I'm hooked.
My new phone is every bit the device I was looking for. Solid phone (after all, that's what it's SUPPOSED to do). The music player is great (keeping me from having to get a MP3 player). The texting with the QWERTY keyboard is great (and big enough for my big fingers). And the video/touch screens are beautiful.
Well worth the purchase price. Of course, ask me again in a year (when I soured on my last phone).

HAPPY NOW LAKER FAN? Thank goodness it's over.
The Lakers got their ring. Kobe got his legacy. And the fans in LA got to have their mini-riot.
I've never understood the need to destroy things to celebrate a championship. What's wrong with, I don't know, being happy with your fellow man? Quiet reflection? A little cry?
A team of guys who make more money than you in a two months than you earn in your lifetime win a championship, and you celebrate by setting mini-fires, tearing up landscaping and moshing?
Sigh.

Open Letters

2009-06-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

Dear city of Moreno Valley:
Driving through your town is a big pain, thanks to your love of traffic signals (that you don't have synced).
But do you really have to make things worse by having construction on nearly ever main east-west/north-south roadway that leads to a freeway?
Seriously. In the two-plus years I've been a regular driver through the town, I can count on one hand the number of days I don't recall coming to, or going around, areas of road construction.
I know that some of them are not your fault, as they work to upgrade water pipelines through the city. But c'mon. The other day I dove onto a side street to get around a jam caused by construction on Cactus ... only to run into more road work. As I turned back to Cactus, I came upon the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. First, there was the "END ROAD WORK" sign, followed by, not 10 yards away, a "ROAD WORK AHEAD" sign.
It was absurd.
About as absurd as the flashing arrow sign being placed across the busy intersection from where the lane actually ends (as it has been at Perris and Alessandro recently). The "LEFT LANE CLOSED AHEAD" sign is great, but the arrows give us no clue as to when it actually closes.
While we appreciate the fact that you're upgrading your infrastructure, and welcoming new businesses (the reason for the construction at Perris/Alessandro), isn't there a way to help the beleaguered drivers going through your city?
Sincerely, The angry guy yelling and pulling his hair out at every light that turns yellow just before he gets there.

Dear gas/oil companies:
"Summer blend?" "Increased demand?" "Market conditions?"
Uh-huh. Sure.
It was really, really nice of you to raise your prices by 40 cents in about two weeks recently. I love the fact that you get to do that and give us those excuses. Because if any other industry did it, there'd be riots.
You've got us by the balls, and you know it. We're so conditioned to paying whatever you charge, that you can change it at will and we'll keep coming.
How about easing up a bit on that profit expectation for a little bit longer? Take it in the shorts just like the rest of us, who've endured pay cuts, furloughs and layoffs.
Other businesses have. Stater Bros., for example, posted lower profits over a recent period ... but saw sales go up. It inspires loyalty in your customers when you make the effort to make things affordable for them when you sacrifice your bottom line.
Well, hope all your research and development helps you when the revolution comes ...
Sincerely, The guy who's looking forward to getting a hybrid or electric car

Dear Laker Fan:
I love your enthusiasm. I really do.
But let's talk about those car flags for a second.
They were all cute earlier this decade, and it's a nice way to show your team pride without putting a permanent sticker on your car, but there comes a point when enough IS enough.
And really, I have no problem if you want to put ONE on your car. Because you know when (if?) the LA Kings make a run to the playoffs, there'll be one in my car.
But two? Your car looks like it should have diplomatic plates and secret service riding along. And three (or more)? Forget about it. We got the point with the first one. You're a Laker fan. But if you're a big enough Laker fan to be sporting three flags now, shouldn't you just break down and get a cling for the back of your car or something? And why just break them out now? Why not drive with them all season?
In the meantime, go Lakers. Finish this thing off so Kobe can get his ring without Shaq and my nights can get quieter.
Sincerely, the guy who's just bitter because he hasn't had a reason to put a team flag in his car.

Dear Costco:
Why do you tease us so much?
You bring in a new product that we try and love ... only to not see it there the next time we're in one of your warehouses (sometimes, only a couple of days later).
I understand that's the nature of your business. And that you only have so much room for some of these items. But ... they're sooooo good.
Sigh. Better now.
Sincerely, the guy who bought three bags of apple chips before they disappeared again (and after the baked potato chips with pepper were replaced)

Dear Gary Bettman (and anyone else in the NHL front office):
You need to do something about this schedule.
Get new TV partners, shorten the regular season, shorten the time period of the playoffs. Anything. There is no excuse for you to have been in the position for the NBA to even have had a chance to finish before you did this week.
But that almost happened. The Lakers could have finished a sweep on Thursday before your Game 7 was played, and that would have been tragic.
Your regular season starts a good two- to three-weeks before the NBA's does. There is no good reason for you to still be playing at the same time.
Let's face facts. Your league needs all the coverage it can get in the MSM, and you can't finish before the more popular league? You're already fighting baseball and NASCAR for extra eyeballs, and you're taking on the Lakers? With your final games going head-to-head with the NBA Finals? Hell, a Denver-Orlando final would be getting more coverage than your storied championship.
I know you have a lot on your plate, what with the whole fight to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix (and out of Jim Balsillie's hands) and a 2009-10 season that will be interrupted by the Olympics (and BTW, shutting down the season for Canada in 2010, and not for Russia in 2014 is bad form, especially with all the Russian stars you promote). But let's find a way to finish this thing sooner. End of May would be nice.
Sincerely, someone tired of seeing the NHL taking a back seat

Lightning Round

2009-06-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

Quick strikes of things that have been thundering around the brain...

Watching these NBA Playoffs, I've come up with a new slogan for the league. The NBA: Two tat minimum. Seriously. These guys have enough ink to print a newsletter. Guess Charles Barkley was right about choosing NBA athletes as role models.

Not that I have anything against tattoos. It's just not for me.

And not to worry Laker Fan. Kobe hits his free throws, and you win the game and are going for the sweep on Thursday. Everyone's entitled to a night where you don't get the breaks and bounces going your way.

Love that we're going seven games in the Stanley Cup Finals. These two teams have put on a good show, and it deserves to have a climactic battle. Too bad the Penguins, my pre-series pick, have to go back to Detroit though. They haven't shown that they can win there, and a Game 7 is not the time you want to find out if you can.

Watching the news last night, and Fred Roggin dedicated a minute of his sportscast to tape of Manny Ramirez working out, and recounting what he said to reporters (not on camera) and five seconds to the score of the Stanley Cup Final ... that was broadcast on his own network. A goal highlight would have been nice.

A new iPhone? Look at the sheep run. Even in this economy, people are flocking to be the first to get the newest version. Of course, this coming from the guy who just got the newest touch screen offering from Verizon. I, at least, was eligible for an upgrade.

June gloom. So loving it. Rather have it than June "it's fricken hot out there."

Roger Penske buying Saturn is a coup for Saturn dealers and the car owners. This guy knows his business and won't take any excuses for it making a profit. And should provide customers with the type of cars they want breaking the bank. The only bummer is it'll probably end the use of OnStar in Saturns. Hope someone develops a similar service.

Stephen Colbert's episodes from Iraq so far this week have been amazing. He looks good with the haircut, and the golf club shout out to Bob Hope is perfect.

Adam Lambert admits his gay. The rest of the world reacts: "Duh."

Facebook institutes screen names. Yay. Just what we need on the service that was to hook up friends without hiding behind anonymous screen names ... is instituting screen names.

The New York Times and Boston Globe are fighting in public like fans of their American League baseball teams. We're beyond the point in journalism of petty fighting between papers. I know it's just business for the NYT, but c'mon boys, play nice ... it's not like the American public doesn't already hate us. Let's not give 'em another reason.

Comedy Central orders new episodes of "Futurama." Not a bad thing. It'll be good to see some new episodes instead of the reruns they plaster all over their late night programming. And it gives Matt Groening the outlet for his absurdist side that he can't always do with "The Simpsons."

Tuesday's Random Thoughts

2009-06-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

TUNNEL VISION: I hate people.
Wait, not any of you. I know you. You're not people.
Unless...
No, seriously. People are the individuals in the world who think the rules don't apply to them. They're the ones who go out of their way to do stupid things. They're the ones who require companies to put safety instructions on boxes of toothpicks.
Some recent examples of "people" in action:

The postal carrier walking down Cerritos near James Madison Elementary in Anaheim. It's only one-lane residential-type area, but a pretty widely used street to get from one end of Anaheim to the other (all my Loara peeps out there know what I'm talking about). Anyway, the dude is two houses from the corner, and a light to cross the street, but he's standing, waiting for traffic to clear so he can jaywalk. And this example is something I see ALL the time in Moreno Valley. It's 10 more yards to the crosswalk. Make the effort.

Getting on the freeway to come home near Cal State Fullerton the other day. There are two lanes for the on-ramp, and both have the metered lights at the end. We pull up to the red light and stop. The car in the left lane sees the red light and just speeds right on.

The driver who sees the school bus on the side of the road, with its red lights flashing so the students can get off safely. And yet, because there's a whole extra lane worth of room, they zoom on by.

And, of course, there's the car behind me, tailing me in the carpool lane. When I'm doing 80. I finally relent and move to the fast lane so he can pass, and he follows, thinking he's going to pass me, then dives back around, glaring over at me with a scowl ... while on his cell phone.
What is it like to go through life that clueless? I mean, we all have brain fart moments where we do something stupid. But the people I'm talking about don't see it that way. They live in a tunnel vision world. The rest of us -- the responsible ones -- are for cleaning up the mess they leave behind, so they can do it again and again and again and ...
The worst part? There's not much we can do about them (legally, that is). Sigh.

SIX MONTHS: I'm getting a little tired of the constant bashing coming from Republicans over the performance of President Barack Obama.
I realize that most of us have a trial period of three months at our jobs, and we're given a review. But most of us aren't the President of the United States.
To declare the economic plan a "failure," as Newt Gingrich did the other day, after this short of a time period, seems to be jumping the gun to me.
After all, there's no training manual for fixing the mess he inherited. And it's certainly not Obama's job alone to do. He may be the figurehead leader, but there another 535 people in Congress who have to work together to make the changes needed to jump start our economy. And they tend to get along as well as Itchy and Scratchy.
The more people such as Gingrich talk, the more it sounds like sour grapes. Frankly, if things aren't going the way you want them to, get back into the game. Stop going on TV to talk about it, get yourself elected. Go help the process. And don't just scream that it has to be done this way or that way. Work together. This whole two-party petty bickering is getting more than tiresome.
Nothing is going to get fixed overnight. Or in just six months. And not everyone is going to like the way that we get there.
And things still aren't going well by next November, we can pick a whole bunch of new people who won't be able to get anything done in Washington.

THE DAY OFF: Really needed the Monday off. We had a rough weekend as far as getting to spend family time together. And you could really tell Luc needed time to be with his daddy (especially after the fit he threw when mommy left for work Monday morning).
During our time, we went shopping (daddy got his new toy ... errr ... phone). We went to the park to play. We got lunch. We visited Gina's dad (who is happiest when his grandson is around). And we went to visit my mom at the preschool she works at (where Luc got to run around and play, since all the other preschoolers are already out for the summer).
By the time we were done seeing grandma, he was tuckered out. He slept the entire trip home. And after a little rest at home, we met mommy and went to dinner. It was a much needed day together.
Today, Tuesday, we try to get back into routine. Some time at home before heading off to day care, while I get to go shopping. Before all the fun of work starts again tomorrow.

INTERACTIVE PORTION: What was the one show you "had to, had to" watch every day when you came home from school (or every Saturday morning)?

Lightning Round coming tomorrow.

Monday's Singular Thought

2009-06-08T09:57:00.000-07:00

Some tired fingers from a long weekend of work, and a young boy who needs his daddy are getting me away from the computer today. Back again tomorrow.

Why am I doing this again?

2009-06-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've been talking a little hear and there about our upcoming vacation plans to Costa Rica, and trust me, I'm more than a little bit excited.
It's going to be nice to get out of town for a while and be away from work. I'm pretty sure this will be my first two-week vacation since I became a working stiff (not counting the month I took off after Luc was born).
But my enthusiasm is tempered some due to the fact that I'm doing something on this trip I swore I never wanted to do again: Traveling with my father-in-law. The man is guano-effin crazy.
This is going to be a test of my patience that will be long and difficult, as I have experienced once before.
Back a few years ago, my sister-in-law got married in Vegas, and we traveled up with him and my other sister-in-law and her three kids. They met us in Ontario and we caravaned up to Sin City. And since we had more room, he traveled with us.
We're barely on the freeway, and his shoes are off. He's taking advantage of our backseat and stretching out (without a seatbelt, I believe). He's grabbing his snacks out of the bag in the back (dried, candied pineapples). All that before we got through Devore.
The seatbelt thing gets me the most, cause that's my ticket -- not his. To this day, whenever he gets in our car, I make a point of reminding him to get his seatbelt on and won't leave the confines of his apartment complex until it's on.
So, we make it to Barstow, and stop at the McDonald's travel station so the rest of us can stretch our legs and use the bathroom. I lead a couple of the kids to the bathroom and relieve myself as well, then head back to find the rest of the family so we can hit the road again.
Nooooooo. We can't. He's decided to start the party already and goes to the liquor store and buys some beers and some flavored vodka (or some such) and wants to sit down so everyone can drink.
So, he pours for everyone (he's gotten used to me not drinking, thankfully, and I got a soda or water). Gina, who's supposed to pick up the driving, looks at me with her eyes saying "What do I do?" She has a small drink, and before he refills it, she tells him, "Dad, I'm going to be driving from here. I shouldn't have any more."
Oh, that sent him into a tizzy, taking away her drink. But my sister-in-law, with no other licensed drivers (or him) in the car, it was OK for her to have at least one more.
So, we finally get on the road again. The whole trip he's been bugging us to stop and take a picture of the Zzyzx sign. But we can't figure out a safe place to do so on the way there, so we venture on through to Baker, and made a quick stop, and I picked up the driving again.
We make it through, finally, to Vegas, about 8:30 (we left in the 2-3:30 range, so a long trip for us) and no one's eaten. We're all hungry. So, we head to the hotel we found for the kids, Terribles to get them checked in, and then we head to their restaurant to eat.
After waiting 30 minutes for a table (cause the buffet had closed not 10 minutes or so before we got there), we grab my father-in-law and leave to get him to hotel.
Now, we had a freebie thanks to that big Ralphs Club free trip fiasco, and were staying at a Residence Inn. Great room with a bed, kitchen and couch that turned into a bed. We could have had Gina's dad stay with us, but we opted for our privacy (and we hadn't seen our room until after we dropped him off, then went to the wrong Residence Inn, in the rain and wind).
His hotel, meanwhile ... could barely be described as a hotel. It's a place called the Downtowner Motel. You want a visual? If you've seen the movie "The Cooler," imagine the place William H. Macy's character lives ... only worse. Shady might be the nicest way to describe it. But it was cheap, and fit into his price range. We left him Gina's cell phone (so we could be in touch easily) and headed to our room.
The next day, we went and got him, and headed to the Sahara for the buffet lunch with the kids (it's one of our favorites for the price range). He didn't want to eat, saying something about his diet. So, we went on, and left him to the casino.
We got done, and he realized he had forgotten a shirt, and we needed to go to Wal-Mart to get him one. This was my sister-in-law's first trip to Vegas, so we needed to lead her around town to and from places. So we would be going from our hotel (near the convention center) to Terribles, back downtown, and back.
After struggling to find a Wal-Mart, we finally headed back to his hotel so he could get ready. Along the way, he was complaining about being hungry, and could we stop and get something. Sigh. We ran through a Carl's Jr., got him some food and were on our way. We gave him an artificially early time to be ready, and went on our way to get dressed.
The early time worked. He was ready, and we made it back across town (in the 6 p.m. range) to Excalibur on time so he could walk his daughter down the aisle.
After the wedding, it was time to celebrate. He and some of the other relatives (including my just married sister-in-law's Godmother from Costa Rica) sat around a bar and drank their dinner. And while the adults were doing that, I hung out with the kids (since their mother joined them as well). There's only so many laps you can make around some of those shops. We had planned to take them to M&M World that night, but it didn't happen.
The next morning, we all were getting up early to make the drive to Victorville for a reception at one of my brother-in-law's relative's house. We made the trip over to his hotel and called. No answer. I went and knocked on the door. No answer. Call again. Nothing. Knock. Nothing. I finally went to the front desk and asked them to open up so we could check on him in case something happened to him. Nothing.
Furious, we started pacing and grousing. When who should finally decide to saunter along. "Oh, were you waiting for me? I just went to get some coffee."
GRRRRRR.
OK, we figure we still have some time to get some food before we leave town, but can't figure out where, and end up at Denny's. Yay, Denny's. Where he doesn't eat again.
And the kids really want to go check out M&M World. So we run through the MGM Grand, get over there, take the quick tour. Stop, see the lions, and drag him back to the car. Seriously. The man was dragging his feet so much it was beyond belief.
We start hauling ass, trying to get to the reception that my sister-in-law planned herself. Even though he was asleep, we made the effor to slow enough to get a picture of the damned sign and finally got into Victorville about 8 p.m. After the party had pretty much broken up.
My sister-in-law is upset and heartbroken. I'm hungry, tired and upset (as is Gina). We all get a little to eat, but he's ready to leave within 20 minutes of arriving (did I mention he's a racist, too? My brother-in-law's family is of Mexican descent, and that's the worst to him).
My other sister-in-law, seeing that we're about to pop a blood vessel, offers to take him the rest of the way home, and we graciously accept her offer. Before they leave, I sit down with my oldest nephew (a very smart, responsible kid) and I give him the directions.
"No matter what you do when you come to that split, you stay on the 15," I tell him. "Don't listen to your grandfather. You stay on the 15 going south until you get here and then ..."
Sure enough, I called my nephew (and Godson) and he said, yep, Grandpa wanted us to go the other way. He wanted them to take the 215 and go through San Bernardino. Now, sure, it would have connected them to the 91, but why go all that way around?
Oh, and all those time he wouldn't eat? We found out later, when he complained to someone about the trip, that he didn't eat because no one offered to pay for him to eat at those places. Never said word one about not having any money to eat, and we probably would have been able to have paid for something for him. But he certainly had money to gamble.
That was one weekend. This trip is going to be nine days. Luckily, we'll be surrounded by his family down there, and I think most of the relatives in our age group are going to be able to find ways for us to get away from him for some of that time. Because they've all had their experiences with their uncle.
So, that's my past experience with my father-in-law. For more recent stories, as we prepare for this trip, you can check out Gina's new blog (it's also linked in the blogroll on the right "Flirting With Integrity") which is focusing on her experiences getting ready for this trip (and her life).
Well, hope to be back Friday morning (but maybe without the food topic).

Lightning Round

2009-06-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ya know ...

... The idea that a Chinese company is buying Hummer boggles my mind. Couldn't we have just gone back to GM building them for the government and stop selling them to the people who can't seem to handle them?

... That Conan kid is going to do just fine as host of the Tonight Show. In fact, I've watched more of the Tonight Show the first two nights of Conan's reign than I did for most of Jay Leno's.

... Dick Cheney coming out now, after he's left office, in favor of gay marriage, seems to be much ado about nothing. What was wrong for standing up for your right while you were the "second" most powerful man in the U.S.

... It was good to see Tom Hanks being funny on Conan. And him talking about In-N-Out at that hour is just wrong. Made me want one of their burgers.

... The way Will Farrell's been out promoting "Land of the Lost," I'm thinking he knows it needs all the help it can get.

... Can we have some jungle guide get Heidi and Spencer lost in the jungle -- for good?

... I can't think of many things better in the world than getting a foot massage.

... Seeing the trailers and previews for "Rock Band: The Beatles" makes me wish I could had the dexterity to play "Rock Band." (I had planned on embedding them, but they kept embedding other clips).

... I've seen Green Day perform "Know Your Enemy" on numerous talk/variety shows, and I think the fourth, touring guitarist has had more screen time than full-time band member Mike Dirnt. And at no point have I gotten tired of hearing the song.

... More disturbing: Jack In the Box commercial for the tropical smoothie with the woman talking about menopause or ... wait, there's nothing more disturbing than that.

... Anyone got any advice on getting a new cell phone? I'm due for my two-year upgrade, and not sure which direction to go. Still on Verizon, so no iPhone for me.

... It was great to see another Pac-10 team win the Women's College World Series on ESPN2 on Tuesday. But really ESPN? Reruns of poker outranked live coverage of a college championship game?

... The new season of Project Runway is finally going to hit the air soon, and sounds intriguing. But I still don't know that I have the energy to track it down on Lifetime.

... I'm not sure how the rest of this week will go, but I'm going to try to get something up Friday for sure.

MySpace Highlight

2009-06-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Before blogging here (or starting the Random Thoughts on Facebook), I was writing a blog using MySpace. It was pretty much the same stuff I've been writing here, but a lot less often, and usually more personal experience oriented.

So, in the first in a series of MySpace Highlights, we go back to March 26, 2008, for one I titled "HIPPA be damned":

Ever been a part of some one else’s conversation ... even when you really didn’t want to?

Obviously, in a world where just about everyone has a cell phone (Luc’s already been bugging us for one ... to chew on), it happens more and more often, and is often unavoidable. You just hope that you don’t have to hear what I did Wednesday.

I was sitting by the pharmacy at Rite Aid waiting for a prescription for the baby, when this woman walks up on the phone. She looks to be in hers mid-20s, early-30s, and she’s intently listening to the person on the other side of the call. The clerk acknowleges her, and in a voice you would use if you were at a loud house party, says "Pick Up." (Which was convenient, considering it was the pick-up counter.) The clerk asks her name. Continuing with the loud voice "AMBER."

"Your last name?"

"REDACTED." (to protect the not-so-innocent).

So the clerk goes on her way, looking for the prescriptions, when this comes out of the woman’s mouth, still at the same volume.

"That’s what happens in prison, mom."

My head snapped up pretty quick at that one. The clerk, who had her back to her, did a double take, and went into double time looking for her prescription.

Now, I was trying not to appear that I was listening, but she had my attention, that’s for sure. And I’m not sure of the accuracy of the order of the following conversation, but all was pretty much said in pretty much these words.

"Yes, mom. Things like that happen. There was a woman who was in there because she cut her baby’s weenie off."
"..." (other half of phone coversation)
"Because she wanted a girl mom. And this other woman, she put her baby in the oven and cooked it and served it to her husband."
"..."
"These things happen in there mom."
"..."
"When I was in prison, mom ..." (At this point, I think the pharmacy tech went into triple-time mode) "...there was a woman who had cut off her baby’s weenie because she wanted a girl."
"..."
"OK, well mom, I’ve got to go."

NOW? NOW she needed to go? After having half a conversation like that at a pharmacy? For everyone to hear? NOW YOU HAVE TO GO? You couldn’t have finished this before you walked in? HIPPA be damned if you want to talk on the cell phone at the pharmacy counter.

Of course, I wasn’t able to recount everything she said (because I don’t carry notebooks with me any more). But she did mention that someone (it may have been her, I don’t remember) was serving at Chowchilla prison. The volume in her voice decreased only slightly through the conversation. And there’s no telling what this woman had done to earn her stay in the big house. But I was watching her body language and she was shaking in a way that didn’t appear to be voluntary, and may have been related to some sort of drug use.

So, consider yourself warned. Nowadays, it seems, you can’t avoid outside incidents of TMI.

Monday's Random Thoughts

2009-06-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

SPORTS NIRVANA: Attention all sports fans. Please sing along:
It's the most wonderful time of the year...
Let's face it, rather than that one overlying event (such as March Madness or the Super Bowl or the Olympics), we have a convergence of just about every sport imaginable. And if they're not playing, they're still making news.
This weekend was one of that made me feel alive and happy to be able to have a varied love of all sports being played at every level. Let's break it down:

The College World Series started. Say what you will about the ping of the bat, but the road to Omaha is a wonder to watch, because you never know what's going to happen. You could get a game with nine home runs (as was my brother's first game in Georgia). Or you could get a 25-inning game -- the longest in NCAA history -- where a pitcher threw 13 innings in relief, 12 of those without allowing a hit. The college game is maddening and exciting at the same time. And it doesn't hurt my interest when Cal State Fullerton (NOT my alma mater) is still playing.

Professional baseball is in full swing. It's about now, as the weather warms up, that following the major leagues starts getting interesting. You've had the first two months, where every team mostly has its ups and downs, and you start getting a feel for who the real contenders are. And if the Angels don't do something with that bullpen soon ... Though, it was nice to get a comeback, walk-off win Sunday.

A little thing called the Stanley Cup Finals. And for all those Detroit fans who groused about having to play back-to-back games for openers, guess that really was an issue for your team. The only problem with the Red Wings winning those first two games is now we have the danger of the Cup being awarded on Versus, not NBC. The series will be shown on the obscure cable home of the NHL for Games 3 and 4, meaning that most of America might not see the final game (still not likely, gotta figure Pittsburgh wins at least one at home).

The NBA Finals are set to go. And, my apologies *snicker* to ABC for losing out on your dream match up. Guess you'll just have to settle for Disneyland vs. Disney World.

The king of clay, Rafael Nadal, lost at the French Open in tennis. This opens the door for Roger Federer to complete his career grand slam, which will put him atop many people's list as far as greatest player ever.

And even the sports I used to coach was on TV this weekend. The Women's College World Series is taking place in Oklahoma City (great complex, including a softball hall of fame, out there, BTW). Caught the last inning of a game on TV here at work. Actually, it was the last at-bat of the first game Sunday.
Didn't hear about it? It was only the ultimate dream-come-true moment for a ballplayer.
Two outs, bottom of the ninth (or, in this case, seventh), bases loaded. Down by three. Who didn't step up with their Whiffle ball and imagine that scenario? You always lived it out in your head, to the roar of your imaginary crowd.
A Florida player lived it. Opposite field, no less.
The announcers let the images from the field do their talking. The one dugout celebrating on the field. The other in disbelief, the emotions just overwhelming the players who were one out away from playing for a championship.
That's not considering the close finish at the NASCAR race and a playoff in the PGA.
A perfect day of sports. Something for everyone, and no waiting. It really helped, because ...

EARLIER IN THE DAY: Came the news that someone had gone into a church and killed a doctor, because he was a supporter of abortion rights.
Last time I checked, two wrongs, still do not make a right. And I'm no theological scholar, but I'm pretty sure that killing someone is still a sin. And killing someone in church? I'm thinking that earns you a FastPass for journey to hell ride in life.
And get off that "eye for an eye" Old Testament bandwagon. I think we all know the difference between right and wrong when it comes to another person's life. We're supposed to be the CIVILIZED society, especially, as some of the backwoods-redneck-racist bastards are wont to think, compared to the people in other countries who still allegedly do things like that.
We can go round-and-round over the whole abortion discussion again, but it just wears me out. Besides, earlier Sunday, my former co-worker Mike Rappaport beat me to the whole point, that seems to evade the pro-lifers out there:

I believe that as long as our laws and our society are the way they are, abortion needs to be safe and legal. That said, if a woman in my life became pregnant, I would do whatever I could to dissuade her from terminating her pregnancy.
Of course if I couldn't, the choice would be up to her. That's a choice I'm perfectly willing to let her make, as long as she understands that her actions have consequences and that she may have to justify herself before God at the end of her life.

So, hope the person who did this feels better about themselves. Because I'm pretty sure they're the only one.

RICH COAST: Yes, the trip is booked. The family has been notified. And in about a month, we'll be taking a vacation to Costa Rica.
And thankfully, the D-listers participating in "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here" will be gone.
We're going down for Gina's grandmother's 100th birthday. And it should be a blast. If we can survive the next month dealing with her dad's paranoia, nerves and grandstanding.
Ever since we've told him we're going to go, he's started making plans for us to do things while we're down there. Every time he goes for a visit, it's typically for a month, and he goes off to Honduras ... Panama ... Colombia ... the whole region.
We're going for a few days. We'd like to see the family.
Oh, there are a couple of things we might do. Thinking of getting a car and going to a hotel by the beach. Maybe something we want to do.
So, if you're into praying, say one for us. Not necessarily for a safe trip (though that would be nice, too), but that we get through it without having a meltdown over Gina's dad.

INTERACTIVE PORTION: Who's the one musical act (past or present) you'd break the bank to see live and in their prime just once?

Fast Food Friday

2009-05-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better in the world than a great breakfast-only restaurant.
Conversely, there is nothing worse for your diet than a great breakfast-only restaurant.
We tried one the other day (for what passes for "brunch" in our household) in Loma Linda, and it didn't disappoint, on either end.
The place was called the Homestyle Cafe, and was modeled just like any other place with that name (including the one that used to be in Guasti, and is now in Chino). There was a mish-mash of chairs surrounding the tables, and coffee came in a mug that led you to believe that other customers were not sharing the design (Gina's mug said something about work and needing the money). And the walls were covered with the proper amount of kitsch and pictures of family and friends.
Of course, just like every place like this, they claimed their pancakes were the biggest in the world. Didn't try one, because I've been down that road in a place like this. When they tell you that, you better be in the mood for a pancake. And no matter what you do, don't try two.
We looked over the menu, and decided to pass on omlettes. First off, the heading over all the choices said: All of our omlettes feature about six eggs. SIX. EGGS. That's how many we scramble together to serve the three of us. Then, they pack in the extras. One choice was a meat-lovers, featuring bacon, sausage, ground beef, ham and chorizo (I think it was all those. Maybe not the ground beef). It did not come with the angioplasty.
We opted for the basics. Gina got bacon and eggs, and I got the diced ham and scrambled eggs. Each of them came with only three eggs, with Gina being served five pieces of bacon. And both came with toast and a side of breakfast potatoes that covered half the plate.
That may not sound impressive until you realize that the plate was oval shaped and was about 24-inches long by 10-inches wide. And half of that was covered in potatoes.
Not that we were complaining, mind you. This restaurant was a little more expensive than some of the others we've gone to in the past (but we haven't been to one in nearly three years). But we went in, got our fill and left knowing that we weren't going to need to rush to a next meal.

OK, now I'm going to air a pet peeve of mine when it comes to burritos:
If you're going to put rice in a burrito, it better not be the ingredient I taste the most.
Frankly, I'd rather there not be rice in a burrito, period. And since I typically don't want beans overpowering the thing, I already order most of them sans frijoles. For me, a good burrito only need carne asada, a little cheese, salsa (and/or guacamole) and maybe small amounts of beans and rice, just to hold the thing together.
This comes up because I went to Tio's Tacos here in Riverside and got me a carne asada burrito and was mostly unimpressed. It wasn't bad, mind you, but when I pony up more than $5 for a burrito, I'd like to taste the meat I ordered to be put in that burrito, not rice.
Now, I know part of the attraction of Tio's is the art work outside. And it was very cool. If I weren't just running over on my lunch break from work, I would have spent more time exploring all the works that have been created using recycled materials. I'll probably go over again one day (with the family) to check it out more, and give the food another try. Overall, the experience wasn't bad (the food was still tasty, after all), but next time, I'll probably just go with tacos.

Stanley's Cup

2009-05-28T08:00:00.001-07:00

Is going back to Pittsburgh.

There it is. I called my shot.

Why? Call it gut. Call it guess. Call it a little bit of history.

The last time two teams met in back-to-back finals was when Edmonton finally broke through the New York Islanders dynasty. This series gives off the same vibe.

You have the young, brash Penguins, who have so much talent and so much skill against a gritty, tough Red Wings team. The two teams know each other and they've been through this before. And this time, the kids from Pittsburgh have the advantage of experience.

Wayne Gretzky wrote in his autobioraphy of the first series against the Isles, that after it was over, he and his guys were walking away disappointed, but in good health. But, in the other locker room, while support staff was partying away, the players were tired, beat up, nursing the bumps, bruises and other injuries that come from sacrificing yourself as a team to achieve a singular goal.

The Penguins know that feeling now.

Also, they're healthy. The Red Wings, as deep as they are, are battered. Are they going to be able to keep up with younger legs, who, despite a grueling second round series against the Capitals, have had plenty of time to recover?

The X-factor in all this is in goal (as it usually is in the playoffs). Is Marc-Andre Fluery finally going to live up to the potential and promise of a first-round draft pick? Or will he disappear when it matters most, again? On the other end of the rink, you have the veteran Chris Osgood, who wants that one more Cup win, which likely will propel him from Hall of Fame consideration to near lock status.

One more thing: The Penguins players NEED this more. They fail again, and there will be lots written and said about their failures, and inability to play up to their potential. They need to prove that they're not just the team that comes out of the weaker conference by default. They have to prove they can hang with the big, bad boys from out West.

And while it would be a great story and emotional boost to the people in Detroit ...

Penguins in six.

Lightning Round

2009-05-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

There are many things in this world that are just plain wrong. Here's a few of them:

People offering to sell kittens. Driving in their car. In the parking lot of Wal-Mart. After 9 at night.

Wal-Mart selling women's night shirts that say "America's Next Top Model" on the front. Really, Tyra, have you no shame?

Amish romance novels. And before you think I'm lying, go watch this story from Nightline.

The show "Deadliest Warrior" exploring terrorist groups (the IRA vs. the Taliban) in this Sunday's "season finale." The show does a pretty good job at looking at the weapons of historic warriors, but terrorist groups? What's warrior-like about that?

The Orlando Magic being up 3-1 on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Actually, that's pretty funny because you know ABC and the NBA are dying a little bit inside each day they creep closer to a possible Denver-Orlando final.

This clip from Sesame Street, featuring Jessica Alba teaching the children a new word. And making the father's of most of the children nodding their head furiously in agreement.

Pat Quinn still getting head coaching jobs in the NHL. Seriously. I suppose it's easier to go with a known quantity that's been out of the game for a while, but c'mon.

Peter Zezel, a hard-nosed center for 15 years in the NHL, dying at the age of 44.

Mike Tyson losing his 4-year-old. Hasn't that man suffered and dealt with enough in his life?

Adam Carrola hosting a party/fundraiser featuring super comics (including Bob Saget) and running out of beer less than an hour in, as was recounted on the KROQ's Kevin and Bean Cinco de la Tarde show.

A "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" property in development in Hollywood, without Joss Whedon's input. Ten, 15 years from now, maybe. But now? That's beyond wrong.

The commercial for McDonald's I just saw while writing this. Hand puppets should not be food.

On that note, I think it's time to wrap up. Look for a original from my MySpace blog tomorrow, and a new Food Friday to finish the week. Have a good week.

News o' the day

2009-05-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

Busy day in the political world, and of course, I couldn't just let that go...

First off, in California, the state Supreme Court upheld the passing of Prop. 8, making gay marriage illegal.
And while it's a sad and frustrating turn of events, I can't say I'm too surprised. Nor can I say was it the absolute wrong decision by the judges.
To turn over the "will of the people" — even if it was only 52 percent of the people — would have just opened up more criticism and more reasons for those "good Christians" to continue discriminating unjustly against a minority.
They may have won this battle, but they certainly have not won the war.
More conservative states are starting to come around. And as they come around, it may become easier for politicians in Washington (or aspiring for Washington) to stop hiding in closets, hoping that the issue will go away. Because if any of them took up the issue at this point, it would amount to committing career political suicide. There are still too many closed-minded people in this country — the ones who get creeped out at the idea of gay people just living together, let alone married — for anyone in their right (or left) mind to get elected to national office using a platform that includes the rights for gays to marry.
Even President Barack Obama backs away from the issue. President Bill Clinton didn't win any fans, either, with the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for the military.
This can't happen overnight. And it's been a long time coming. But the war needs to be won at the ballot box. It can't be won in court, because the argument of "will of the people" will always be the trump card.
And it can be. It's just going to take some serious campaigning. Everyone thought that there was no way that Prop. 8 could pass, but the family-first-types went out and campaigned their closed-minded values off. Millions of bumper stickers and signs and commercials. You get enough of those going, and you're going to win votes (especially, as I said Monday, in the redder parts of the state).
So, next chance possible, get a measure on the ballot to repeal Prop. 8. And campaign. And if it fails, you try again. And again. And again.
Nothing worth having isn't worth fighting for. And equality and freedom, those are worth fighting for.

Meanwhile, in Washington, President Obama nominated a Latina for the Supreme Court. And just like Rush Limbaugh, he opened his mouth.
“Here you have a racist — you might want to soften that, and you might want to say a reverse racist."
Really? A reverse racist? What the hell is a reverse racist? The opposite of a racist is someone who isn't a racist you big dunderhead.
Oh my gawd Rush, just because a big bad Latina is coming to the High Court doesn't mean you're going to have to fire your cleaning lady. Or your gardening crew. Or your pool cleaners. Here's a news flash for ya: All of those people willing to do that work for you, they really don't like you because you're a big, fat, lazy American who was hopped up on pain pills. But your money is good, so they won't say it to your face.
Besides, since when is being proud of your heritage, and a life experience that was much different than yours, equated to being a racist?
And for the Republicans out there who are worried about her ruling by "feeling" and taking a common man's approach ... what's wrong with that? Most of the people you serve are the "common man." Just because your donors can afford high-priced lawyers doesn't mean that the rest of us can.
We need more centrist ideals in this country. We need to be thinking of everyone, not just those who can afford a $1,000 fundraising dinner. Those who's opinions on life and politics are not red or blue, but purple. And people who are tired of hot air being blasted up our behinds by people who aren't open-minded enough to accept that they're not perfect.

Monday's Random Thoughts

2009-05-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hey, I'm back after a brief break. Had lots to write about, just not enough time to do it in.

HATIN' THE GAME: When it comes to the pundits in the political arena, California is as blue as a state can be.
But if CNN's John King took his magical touch screen map that breaks down each state by counties and colors, I'd bet we'd see a bunch more red than people would expect.
I know. I live in the middle of it.
Everyone knows about the ultra-conservative enclave of Orange County, but head northeast into the Inland Empire, and you'll find Republicans have a pretty good stronghold here, from local government on up to federal office. How do you think Prop. 8 got passed in California, of all places? I saw more family first bumper stickers and signs per mile during election season. Heck, I saw someone driving with a No on Prop. 1A sticker on the back of their car Wednesday (as if that was going to pass).
It's actually a pretty good relationship. The Republican-types are able to make sure that things don't get out of control, while realizing that LA and San Francisco voters are going outnumber them in most of the national races.
But what gets me is when it gets all hateful.
I noticed it over the weekend when 3-year-old Briant Rodriguez was found alive in Mexico. It was a happy time to know that this child, taken from his home by intruders, was OK. It was going to be a happy reunion. And my paper was documenting it.
As with many papers, our stories allow comments from readers on the stories. And I made the mistake of reading them.
Things like (paraphrasing): "Just wait until the truth comes out." "That mom looks worried (in the picture) because he was her anchor baby, keeping her here." "I'm sure it had to do with a bad drug deal/coyote payment/immigration issue."
Sure, there most were offset with "Oh, we're glad he was found, but..." It was that way on our competition's comment boards as well.
How about we stop and take into consideration the circumstances before we speak. The comments about the picture really got me. Our picture (see it in this story) was of her, sitting in a car with her son on the way to the hospital, after he had been gone nearly two weeks, after she had been on what was probably her second airplane flight ever, after a wild two days after finding out her son was likely alive ... with a photographer snapping pictures nearly paparazzi style. How do you think she should look?
Thank goodness for the S.B. County Sheriff, Rod Hoops, too. When asked about the mom's immigration status, he turned it back around to "Who cares, the boy was born here, and he's our priority." I'm sure that pissed off the Minutemen types out there.
Probably Dick Cheney, too. Oh, there I go, getting started on him.
Ya know, Dick, if you're worried, why don't you get your huntin' rifle and go start shooting people in the face.
You're doing more damage to this country now than you were as Vice President (which, with his track record, is hard to believe). It's one thing to have meaningful dialogs. But the hate and fear that he's spewing from that pie hole is not doing anything to help the country. You have ideas, present them to the people making the decisions.
Let's face it, you had your turn, Dick. You ran the country for eight years, and had the right to run for the top office to give it another four. Stop going on TV and radio and reminding us of 9/11. We remember. Stop going on and saying that thanks to the changes after 9/11, there were no more attacks. If you'd have stopped that one in the first place, maybe we'd be impressed.
deep, cleansing breath ... count to 10 ... calming ... calming ... OK, better. What was I talking about again? Oh yeah...
So, what was a happy occasion, of a kidnapped boy, being found alive in Mexico after two weeks, suddenly became this bash the "illegals" campaign. And, hey, she admitted they're working to get their documents. But her husband is also working as a cabinet builder, supporting his family. They're paying taxes (we all do when we go shopping), and contributing to society. And now, fearing for their safety, thinking of moving.
It was a happy ending to a scary story. Let's just leave it at that, and let these folks have their lives, without judging them for reaching for their piece of the American dream in a way, that while technically illegal, is sadly not uncommon. It's not our job, as a society, to do that.

BROKEN NEWS: The whole story of the recovery of Briant Rodriguez was a big, fat exclusive that my paper, the Press-Enterprise, got late a couple of Fridays ago. It was so big, that the decision was made to keep the story off the paper's Web site overnight, so not even TV outlets could be tipped off about it.
The thrill of having an exclusive of that magnitude was one that a lot of us hadn't felt for a while, and we were reveling in it.
And for those of us who used to work for the Inland LANG papers, it was even more so. Just the thought of their faces the next morning was enough to make us want to dance jigs.
Then, we got 'em again, with a Web-only story Wednesday night documenting him being home. Our staff was working hard and getting the stories and getting it out there.
By Friday, though, I realized how hollow it all was.
Sam Maloof, the renowned woodworker, died. He was an icon in the area. Lived in Rancho Cucamonga. The flurry of e-mails from our top bosses to the Web team was overwhelming. Post this picture. Here's a timeline, post it. Here's more pictures. Here's another item. It was a massive effort.
Meanwhile, over on the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin's Web site, there was ... nothing. Oh, I saw a couple of blog postings from their reporters in the module that collects those. But no big photo. No big story. Nothing, until 10:25 or so at night (which was the earliest I checked and saw it).
It just made me shake my head. The staff over there has been cut so much that they weren't even able to put on their home page, the main portal to the site, anything of substance about a man who has brought more attention to the region than maybe anyone ever.
We journalists take pride in doing our best, and getting out in front on stories to bury the competition. But when the competition's already buried up to its neck by its own management, it's hard to enjoy the victory. It's actually rather sad.
I still know a few of the people who work there, and have the utmost respect for the job they continue to do under the most dire of conditions. But they deserve a better fate than this.
And so do the readers.

Lightning Round

2009-05-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough week so far, but I have a few things to put together a quick Wednesday Lightning Round. UPDATE: 6:55 p.m.

I hate stupid people. Especially stupid people I don't know. It makes it easier to write about them.
Was driving to work, going down Lime Ave. toward the office, past the courthouse. For those who don't know the area, there is a bridge going from the courthouse to a parking lot for jury members.
Underneath the bridge that day was a woman talking on her cell phone. It was in the shade, so maybe she was just beating the heat. (But then I wouldn't have anything to write, would I?)
Sure enough, as soon as I went by, traffic was clear for her to jaywalk across the street, ignoring the conveniently place bridge that would have allowed her to cross without, oh, I don't know, BREAK THE LAW!
How ignorant do you have to be? So much so that they're not even worth spelling out ignorant.

I don't follow basketball much, but it was nice to see the Lakers didn't just choke things away. I'd rather hear about them playing for another couple of weeks than starting another soap opera offseason with Kobe and Phil being eliminated early in the playoffs.

Watched the NBA Draft Lottery and laughed when the Clippers got the first pick. Tell me your first thought wasn't "Well, how are the Clippers going to piss this away?"

How come those who have sworn to uphold the law are the first to break the law.
I've seen it a couple of times, and Gina sees it all the time in the desert — police officers talking on their cell phones while driving. Would it kill them to stick a silly looking Bluetooth in their ear?
After all, they're quick to pull you over for doing it, as they did to Gina's boss — which led to more hilarity. You can read about it here.

**UPDATE: Sure enough, seven hours after posting this, I walked over to get a drink, and on the way back, saw a cop pull up to a red light with his hand on his phone, and the phone up to his ear.

I am absolutely loving the whole mess between the WWE and the NBA/Denver Nuggets. First off, there's no court in the land that wouldn't side with the WWE. Knowing that Vince McMahon is going to milk this thing for everything it's worth (and he's going to get a nice pay day for backing out of his contract).
If I were him, there are only two options I'd consider for his show next Monday (he has a TV contract to fulfill, too).
One is I'd take the show to Staples Center (it's open, and they've offered), and I spend the whole night talking up the Lakers and bashing the Nuggets.
Or, I'd go to one of the outdoor venues in the Denver area (Mile High, Coors Field or the Colorado Rapids' soccer stadium). Exchange all the tickets for similar seats at the outdoor venue, and then give tickets for the bulk of the rest of the seats for $5 apiece (or just give 'em away) and PACK the place, and then spend the whole night talking up how you filled a huge outdoor stadium on a night the Nuggets were playing.
Either way, he's going to win.

Be interesting to see how the Blackhawks play once they're back home, in front of their frothing at the mouth fans.
It's no secret that there's a lot of NHL fans (not in Detroit) who are rooting for the Hawks just because it's good for the league to have Chicago be a success (and to see someone new in the Cup finals).
But for Kings fans, besides our past playoff rivalries with the Red Wings, we see a lot of hope in the Hawks run, because they've been rebuilt much like the Kings are currently in the process of doing. So we hope that Chicago's success is a sign of things that may come to LA.

Nope, not going to bash the Ducks on their way out. They played well this playoff year, and did it without the semi-goonery they used the year they won the Cup.
But it's a really interesting offseason for them. Lots of questions about who's coming back. Niedermayer going to retire for good this time? Trade Pronger while his value's still high? Selanne has another year on his contract, but will he retire? And Hiller just supplanted Giguere in the playoffs. Was this year just an anomaly for Giggy, or was it a sign of things to come?

Of course, Tim Leiweke — the man who oversees the Kings, Galaxy, Home Depot Center, Staples Center and LA Live for their primary owner, Phil Anschutz — was happy as a pig in slop Tuesday, seeing the company's products all over your TV.
One side of the street had the sports fans, with the Lakers playing at home in the playoffs. Over at the Nokia Theater, you had the finals of "American Idol." No matter the TV shot, you saw the downtown LA entertainment destination — the real reason the Kings are a part of their holdings.
The Kings were the reason he got to build a new arena (Lakers owner Jerry Buss wanted one, too, but I don't think he could have pulled it off on his own). And once it was in, and a success, it was easy to expand to add LA Live.

My brother's an umpire, so he was quick to defend John Lackey's tossing after two pitches. And I know why. But man, wouldn't a warning sufficed if you were worried after the first pitch?

Disney Channel changed the hours it plays its "Playhouse Disney" programs this week, ending the block at 10 a.m. after the "Imagination Movers." So we've moved over to Nick Jr., and I never thought I'd say this, but I kinda miss the "Little Einsteins," when faced with the "Backyardigans." Or maybe I'll just put on the Daily Show/Colbert block on for us to watch in the 10 a.m. hour.

"Dora and the Super Babies" commercial is playing in the background. Nothing more creepy than the thought of "Super Babies."

Item: Fans are starting a Twitter petition in the hope of saving "My Name is Earl." Reaction: I like the show, but let it go people. You got four years out of a show that many wrote off after season one. Besides, Fox may keep it going, because they already produce it, and it makes them money in syndication.

That's it. Hope to have something new tomorrow. May resort to posting an rerun (there are some things I wrote on my MySpace blog that would work here as well, including some more personal stories from my time working at Anaheim Stadium).

Have a good day.

Monday's Random Thoughts (TV edition)

2009-05-18T01:46:00.001-07:00

Merry Monday to everyone. A little bit of a one-track mind today, but it was a long weekend full of breaking news, so I didn't get a lot of time to get rolling on any other topics... (Edit to add at 9:24 a.m.)

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE ...: If you're a TV fan, then today starts a time of year that's a bit like Christmas morning.
You know, you unwrap your new toys for the world to see, and within five minutes, that sparkling new toy you had to have has been pushed aside. Or you've gotten jealous over the gift your sibling got. Or you got a "Go-Bot" instead of a "Transformer." Or someone gave you socks.
The TV networks up-front week is also a bit of an archaic exercise by an industry that is still grasping on to it's old business models, and hasn't adapted to a changing world.
Every May, the networks get together and show off the new shows they're going to put on your TV in the fall, mainly so advertisers can figure out which show will be safe for them to put their ad dollars behind.
And every one of those network suits will talk about how they're going to change television or bring a cutting-edge cable mentality to the shows you'll see on your free TV channels.
Uh-huh. Sure you are.
We've heard it all before. Wait until you see this new boundary pushing show ... it'll be great! Six weeks later, and it's off the air.
I think it's safe to say, that in most cases, America does not like "cutting edge." Or, more correctly, the America with Nielsen boxes does not like "cutting edge."
The America with Nielsen boxes likes safe. They like familiar. That's why there's three "CSI's" and three "Law and Order's." It's why Jim Belushi's sitcom is still on the air.
And, it's why NBC turned to Jay Leno to take up five hours a week in prime time. Those socks that you tossed aside when you opened the box on Christmas morning ... turns out they're nice, warm and comfortable.

THAT'S THE THING ABOUT SOCKS: Looking at the synopsis of some of the shows that will be coming to a screen near you, and it's easy to see Hollywood is trying to give you a warm and fuzzy feeling.
By not relying on things that are "new." Let's take a look at some of the "new" shows:

ABC has apparently picked up six episodes of "V." Yes, "V." That '80's miniseries that was turned into a one season series on NBC is back. Alan Tudyk (the pirate from the movie "Dodgeball," and Wash from "Firefly") is set to be one of the stars. I'm sure somewhere down the pike, the phrase "Well, it worked for Battlestar Galactica" was uttered.

Staying on ABC, they're adapting "The Witches of Eastwick" as a series. Rebecca Romijn will be the headliner star. Doubtful they'll be able to pull Jack away from the Lakers long enough for him to make an appearance.

Over at Fox, when they're not showing "American Idol," they'll be digging into the DC Comics archives for "Human Target," about a guy who keeps his clients safe by pretending to be the client. Oh, and ABC already tried it once with Rick Springfield in the title role.

NBC, not wanting to be left out, is rebooting the 1989 Steve Martin-starring, Ron Howard-directed movie "Parenthood." They've got some decent names coming in, though Peter Krause (from "Sports Night," "Six Feet Under" and "Dirty Sexy Money") has some big shoes to fill in the Steve Martin role. They're going the full-on drama route, as far as I can tell. Oh, and ABC (I think), also already tried it as a series.

The CW has a two-fer going this fall. The network that brought us a new version of "90210," is digging into the '90s Fox archive again, by rebooting "Melrose Place," which will include renowned lip-syncher Ashlee Simpson-Wentz. And since they were bringing one old classic up-to-date, they thought, why not go back to the '80s with a "Gossip Girl" spinoff that will look at one of the characters when she was a teen.

Speaking of spinoffs, CBS — the network that brought you three CSI's — is going to well from its other crime scene show, "NCIS." Chris O'Donnell (the former Robin) is set to star in a spinoff of the Mark Harmon-led show.

Oh, and it's not just the ideas that are getting new air time. So are the stars of shows you loved before. Besides Romijn, coming back to new shows, among others, are Courtney Cox-Arquette, Patricia Heaton, and Kelsey Grammer.

ABOUT THAT EDGE: ABC seems to be the network that likes to test its limits on that edge. They've tried and tried and tried over the years, it seems. But for every "Lost" that's worked, there are shows such as "Pushing Daisies" and "Life on Mars" that don't.
And it seems to leave them always in this mode of scrambling to fill.
Which is why it surprises me that they are continuing to push a little with shows that just raise red flags in my head.
One is a mockumentary sitcom that will star Ed O'Neill, among others, that is called either "Modern Family" or "Modern Life." The show follows three families. There's the typical American family, with mom and dad and three kids. There's the older guy (O'Neill) who's married to a younger woman with their kid. And then, there's the gay couple.
Oh, that's going to play in middle America. Sure, "Will and Grace" was a ratings success. But that was a simpler time, when America was just starting to accept that there were gay people in their midst, and that it was OK. Now, we're living in a world where we're fighting over their rights to get married, and, the Christians will love this, even raise children.
I actually have high hopes for the show, and hope it gets a real chance, but the cynic in me is worried that it will get tuned out and treated like "Arrested Development," a great show that was too smart for its own good.

REPRIEVED: Also happy to see that two shows I've been following are officially coming back for a bit.
Both "Chuck" and "Dollhouse" got 13 more episodes, but both will have to cut their budgets. So, expect a few deaths, or people leaving for new assignments next fall.
Also getting picked up was "Better Off Ted" and "Scrubs" on ABC. "Better" is one I just haven't gotten to, but I've heard good things about. And "Scrubs," well, ABC already produces it, and it's probably cheaper to keep it going than developing something new.

MUTE BUTTON: OK, so all I've done is talk about TV. But I'll shut up now. I'm off to LAX today to pick up my dad, and am writing this really early Monday morning. So, I'll try and get some rest and come up with something marginally more interesting (or at least more varied) for next time.
Have a good day.

Fast Food Friday

2009-05-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of food notes for all of us on the go (and neither are your typical "fast food"):

Pepsi is starting to promote two new versions of its signature cola, looking to capitalize on the "natural" movement. And both aren't that bad.
But before we get to them, I like that the idea of "natural" for all these companies is code for "no high-fructose corn syrup." That's pretty much it. After all the bad press HFCS has gotten in causing the obesity problem in this country, I can imagine why these companies want to try and get as far away from it as they can.
But, of course, nothing that tastes good like that comes without a cost. They're replacing it all with SUGAR! Sugar, which will rot your teeth faster. Sugar, which is seemingly as bad for your waistline.
Oh well. At least they seem to be trying.
The two Pepsi products out there are Pepsi Throwback and Pepsi Natural, both touting the idea that there's no HFCS in them. Throwback has been getting the advertising dollars on your TV, while Natural had more of a soft launch.
We tried the Natural soda not long after it was released, and I have to say it is amazingly good — but expensive for the amount you get. It only comes in 12-ounce glass bottles, sold in four- and 12-packs (only seen them at Costco), and it'll cost you about a dollar per bottle.
Using sparkling water (instead of carbonated water), the Natural Pepsi has a nice bite to it, not unlike a handcrafted root beer. It also lists under its ingredients "kola nut extract," which sounds better than a regular Pepsi's "natural flavors."
Of course, just because it's "Natural" doesn't mean it's all that better for you. The calorie count is the same as a 12-ounce can (150 each), as is the amount of caffeine (38 mg). But it does come in with less grams of sugar (38 grams vs. 41 grams), and less carbs (39 vs. 41).
The Throwback version is more readily available at this point. It's taste is pretty close to the Natural version, but you can tell the little differences between the two (at least I could).
Nutritionally, it comes in pretty equal to the other two. The biggest difference: it's sodium count. Regular Pepsi (with the HFCS) has 30 grams of sodium per 12-ounce serving, versus 35 for the Natural and 40 for the Throwback.
The only problem I had with the Natural was that it was so darn good. It's become a nice change from the taste-bud numbing diet colas out there.
But the nice trade-off is it's packaging and price. By going in glass bottles, it makes it a little easier to stick to one of these a day (or less). Meaning you can space out your soda drinking, and drink more water (well, at least that's my justification).

The most evil fast food item I've had recently was at Farmer Bros.
Funnel Cake Fries.
It's hard to go wrong with fried anything, especially batter. And they were good.
But a funnel cake is something you get when you're at the fair or the amusement park. They're a nice diversion while you're having a good time, walking around and able to burn off all that fried goodness covered in powdered sugar.
At the dinner table? Not as much. If you're getting them on their own, I'd say go ahead. But when you've already had a sandwich with fries or rings, it's a bit much.
(What, you want nutritional information? It's fried batter covered in powdered sugar. You've gained two pounds just reading about it.)

One more quick thing. I've been getting a little burned out on all the chain restaurants, and have been trying to go try the independent fast food place.
Actually found a really good one in Grand Terrace, right off the 215 (the name escapes me). And I hit up another in Moreno Valley on my way to work recently. And you know the only place to get a really good, authentic burrito or taco is by going to somewhere without Del or Bell in their name.
So, let's hear some suggestions. You got a favorite, share it with us — either here or on Facebook.
Help everyone break out of the boredom of ordinary drive-thru fast food.

That's it for this week. Catch ya next time.

Busy days and nights

2009-05-14T17:09:00.001-07:00

OK, things have been a bit busy. Luc woke up before 6 a.m., and threw the whole day's schedule off. Things expect to get busier as the night wears on (two playoff games will make it so).

Have something heavier I'm still trying to get a handle on, so, in the meantime, I came up with something small and quick to fill out my entry today.

The top 10 good reasons working the much-maligned (by me) Wednesday through Sunday schedule:

1. Get to wear shorts and T-shirt to work twice a week.
2. A chance for actual, approved overtime.
3. More chances to have a dinner as a family (even if it's just fast food).
4. I'm still employed.
5. Luc gets more time around children his own age.
6. Won't have to work election nights (though, also means I'll miss election night food).
7. Going to be "off" on those holidays that every one else gets off on Mondays.
8. No bosses around twice a week.
9. The opportunity to catch up on missed sleep (though, likely not to happen)
10. More time to gripe on Facebook, MySpace and the blog.

The Lightning Round

2009-05-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Some quick hits as I head back to work from my weekend.

The more I hear and read from Dick Cheney, the more I wish he'd have stayed in hiding.
Seriously, if he thinks the things that are happening are making the country worse, maybe he should just go back into his bunker so when the "attacks" come, he can be safe.
Doesn't he realize that things that don't change with the times tend to atrophy, become useless and die off. Oh, wait, maybe he already does, and the process has already started.

You'd think a firefighter would know better than to hose down cement in the current California drought environment.
It looked like he was doing it because they'd been working on one of their cars. So, great, he was might have been washing hazardous materials down a drain. And with all the calls for being water wise ... hope they don't need that water to put out a fire soon.

Guy Fieri has the best job in the world. And man do I wish I knew of a place in the region like the ones he profiles on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

Bigger sign it's time to move: Small amounts of graffiti start showing up in the neighborhood. Nothing that's affiliated with gangs, per se, but it's never a good start when the kids who live there don't respect the place they live.

That was a heckuva weekend for Corona police. An early morning stabbing that resulted in two young girls deaths (allegedly at the hands of their father), and then two people who allegedly tortured, killed and buried a 2 1/2-year-old girl in a shallow grave. Then the couple (one of them, the girl's mother) called the police to report her missing from a trip to the park.
Oh, and yes, that's the upper-scale CORONA, not dirt poor SAN BERNARDINO.

Not surprised to see scuttlebutt starting that the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers are being targeted as a team that could be in danger of moving in the near future. Never did like the NHL giving the area another chance in the first place. When your first franchise, the Flames, picks up and moves to Calgary, you know the market really doesn't want or appreciate hockey.

I wish Gary Bettman and the rest of the league would just let Jim Balsillie take the Coyotes already. Balsillie's the co-chief executive officer of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, and this is his second or third shot at trying to buy a team to break to South Ontario (Canada). I know the guy's been generally an ass to deal with, and this end-around he's trying to pull on this deal is shady at best, but don't you want owners in the league who want to own teams and are dedicated to hockey?

Of course, the biggest reason they don't want him to take an existing team is they are hoping to get an even bigger payday out of him by getting him for an expansion fee. That's big bucks for the league, and every other owner. And with no solid TV deal generating money, they'd like the check he can write.

And I'd say the people in the Greater Toronto Area have a point about the need for a team to move in. They haven't had a team, in the Maple Leafs, worth watching in how many years now?

The Kings will be playing an exhibition game in Ontario this fall. Ticket prices are set, and be prepared to pay NHL prices to see a preseason game against the Sharks at the Bank. Great, one team that can't make the playoffs, and the other who can't win in the playoffs. (But I still plan on attending.)

One more NHL item: The league needs to find a way to get a presence back on ESPN. I don't care what it is, but since the World Wide Leader doesn't carry any of their games, they pretty much ignore the sport. Versus and the NHL Network are never going to get the households, or have the pull, that the family of networks has. I'd settle for a half-hour nightly highlights show on ESPN8 (THE OCHO!) about now.

That's all I got for now. Have a good day.

(Not) Coming to a theater near you

2009-05-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hey, in case you hadn't already noticed, but the Summer movie season has started!
(Memo to Hollywood: Summer doesn't start until June. The first weekend in May is still firmly supplanted in Spring. Kids are still in school. Parents are still at work. It's kind of like when the stores start putting Christmas decorations out before Halloween. Why the hurry to deem it "Summer"?)
Anyway, I spent part of my Monday off scrolling through some trailers for the movies coming to a theater near you, and man were they underwhelming. Underwhelming to the point that, man, there's not a one I'm pining to rush right out and see.
As a comic book guy, you'd think Wolverine would be at the top of my list. Nope. While Hugh Jackman did a nice enough job playing him in the X-Men movies, he had plenty of people around him so he didn't have to completely carry the thing. I know that there are plenty of other mutants around for this one, but, man, I can't say that any of them made me want to drop everything.
Star Trek? It looks intriguing, and is getting some good buzz. But I've never been a Trekker. Always a Star Wars guy first. Might make an effort to see it, but then again, probably won't.
Hey, there's a new Harry Potter movie, too. Unfortunately, I'm one of the 50 literate people in America who haven't read the books, and I've only seen a couple of the movies when they've been on Disney or ABC Family.
One of the full trailers I watched was for "G.I. Joe." Now, when I was a kid, I remember playing with my 12-inch figures all the time (until those cool Star Wars ones hit the shelves ... and the dog had his way with the dolls). And, of course, there was the G.I. Joe cartoon series that came when the new generation of figures came out (complete with morality lessons at the end of each episode). So, there certainly is a curiosity to see what they were going to do with it.
I watched that sucker twice. Not because it was that good, oh no. Because I had to make sure it was as craptastic as I thought it was. AND IT WAS. Oh my goodness. That is going to be this year's "Speed Racer" ... you know, the one that was green lit because of all the memories from childhood that turns into such a turd, that someone's going to get fired for it.
Sure, there are a couple of them I'd like to see. Some of the comedies have the pedigree to be very good: "The Hangover" certainly has the talent to be a very funny movie, with Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis going nuts in Vegas. "Year One" starring Jack Black and Michael Cera has Harold Ramis as a writer and director, and a ton of great comic cameos (Paul Rudd, David Cross and Hank Azaria) so it has to be considered a contender. And "Land of the Lost" certainly has a lot going for it, with Will Ferrell doing his thing, and a lot of Gen X love for the original series. And the Johnny Depp-Christian Bale movie "Public Enemies" will likely do boffo box office, and actually should be very good.
Of course, I have two major handicaps this summer. First is the schedule. Without sharing days off, it makes it difficult for my wife and I to find the time to get a babysitter and go together to a movie.
Second is the idea that we need to get a babysitter. The last two summers, we have been able to just pack Luc in the car and head to the drive-in to see most of the movies we wanted to see. He'd go to sleep, and we'd be fine to watch the movies.
But now that he's 2, sitting still is not his strongest suit. And trying to get him to pay attention to the big screen (even for a kid-friendly film such as "Up") will be a challenge. I'm sure he'd fall asleep eventually, but until that point, actually watching the movie will not be easy. And going to a walk-in with him ... HA!
And our babysitting situation is difficult. All the family is in Orange County. We haven't found anyone we can trust near us to sneak out to Ontario to theaters we trust at the Mills.
There's also the minor problem that movies just don't stay in the theaters as long as they used to. They're in the multi-plex for a couple of weeks to a month, and then gone. Prepared for the standard DVD, special edition DVD and Blu-Ray release, and put out for On Demand orders on your home television provider.
We never made it out to see "Watchmen," in part, because of that reason. And I read something Monday about the ultra-special things being planned for the Blu-Ray release (it'll have Facebook connectivity ... WHOO!).
Oh well, there's always next year. And poking around, you've already got "Iron Man 2" to look forward to, and a planned "Green Lantern" movie looks like it may come around sometime in 2010.
So, have fun at the movies this summer. You probably won't see me there ... until next year.
(By the way, can you even believe we're talking about next year being 2010. As a child of the 1970's, the idea of 2010 seemed like the time we'd all be living like the Jetsons ... or at the very least like the future presented in "Back to the Future.")

Monday's Random Thoughts

2009-05-11T01:25:00.000-07:00

Hey! It's Monday. That means it's time for a few random thoughts. Probably have a lightning round of random thoughts (more, but shorter) later in the week.

LANGUAGE PLEASE: Our apartment complex has seen an influx of children in the past few months. And they like to play near our door.
Actually, they tend to set up shop on the staircase leading up to our door. And, for the most part, they're not too bad. They clear the way when we have to go up and down (mostly) and if I ask them to be quiet so the baby can sleep, they tend to do so.
Now that I'm home on weekdays, I get to see and hear them a little more often.
It's ear opening.
The language that some of them use is outright bothersome. I'm trying to to be an old fuddy-duddy about this, but it's hard hearing someone who looks like they're 8 dropping F-bombs loud enough that the whole neighborhood can hear.
We can get into all the usual suspects when this subject comes up. You know, how the parents aren't around, or how Hollywood makes indecent programming accessible, or they're only repeating what they hear from the older siblings or parents. Yeah, we've heard 'em all.
But let's explore it from another avenue: The devaluing of the language.
In all likelihood, the kids don't really know any better. And they don't know any other way to express themselves. It's just easier (and cooler) to use words that they've been told not to use.
They don't realize the more you use a F-bomb or any other expletive, the less shock value it has, and the less people will listen to what you have to say.
For a good example, look at the movie "Idiocracy." Everyone talked that way — and ONLY that way. Fuddruckers got a creative new name (that, honestly, we've probably all thought about calling it already anyway). By the time the movie was done, you were so numb to the words, that you had to be worried that we sound that way sometimes now.
There was a while there in my late teens/early-to-mid 20's, when I cursed like a sailor. And there are times still when a bomb or two drops from my pie hole. But I try to be more judicious in their use (and not just because of Luc).
That especially goes here. This is my blog, and my posts, meaning I'm my own decency judge. I could go nuts and use every possible curse word or extremely off-color joke I've ever heard (and there have been a couple of posts that when I thought of them, I was upset enough that I was screaming obscenities in my head). But what would be the point?
After all, the pen (or in my case, the keyboard) is still mightier than the sword. And, hopefully one day, the kids will learn that a well-turned phrase is mightier that calling some one a (favorite expletive here)-head.

WATCHING THE ROAD: Coming home from a wedding last week, I saw something that frightened and disgusted me.
A truck/SUV in front of us had three video screens playing for the passengers in the back seat of the car. This, in itself, is not an uncommon occurrence these days.
What was, however, was the size of the one hanging down from the roof of the car.
The thing was huge. It was as big, if not bigger, than my main TV (which, admittedly, is only a 19-incher). It was scary big. It would have taken up half of our Saturn's back seat.
A flurry of thoughts ran through my mind:
* How ADD-riddled are the kids riding in that back seat? You need a screen that size (plus one embedded in each seat back) to keep them entertained? My child's only 2, but I can pretty much guarantee that there will be no monitors that size in my car. He wants to ignore us when he grows up, he can listen to his MP3 player. At least then I'll know it's because he doesn't share my choice of music.
* Recession? What recession? How much money do you have that you can put that into your vehicle? And the self-entitlement it implies. For chrissakes, get a smaller screen and donate some of the savings to charity. I see something like that, and I know it's a gas-guzzling, battery-draining, distracted-driving pain in my rear. And it's on the road in front of me?
* How out of their minds are the parents? You know that the program that was playing (it appeared to be a children's cartoon) has been seen by them and their kids probably about 5,000 times. It's their favorites. And you've seen it over-and-over-and-over-and-over ... you get the picture. I've done a pretty good job of mixing up the children's programs I watch with Luc, but when you're seeing the same episode of "Imagination Movers" for the 10th time, it's hard not to go a little crazy.
I know technology is marching on, and it's making it easier and cheaper for us to do this. But just because we can, doesn't mean we should. After all, none of us had TV's in our car growing up, and we turned out pretty damn good, I'd say.

SPEAKING OF THE IMAGINATION MOVERS: We were out shopping the other day at a Target, and Gina pointed out a new DVD featuring some of the episodes of the TV series.
Which, in and of itself, isn't a really big deal. Every TV show puts episodes out on DVD. Especially when they're involved with Disney.
But upon further inspection, there was something about it that struck a chord. On the packaging was a quote from a critic, telling you how good the show was, and how good it was for your kid to watch.
"The kind of TV parents want their kids watch," read the quote, attributed to Barry Garron of the Hollywood Reporter. Before I even saw the attribution, I looked at Gina and said I know that quote. I had read that quote on a blog I was regularly following from the Reporter. Before Barry Garron was laid off last year.
His review of the show was posted on Nov. 17. Word came down he was out of a job around Dec. 4. Which leaves me with two thoughts.
First: How's that for a lasting monument to a tenure in ones journalism career (even Hollywood trade journalism) — a small quote on the package of a children's DVD?
And second: What's going to happen when the last critic is laid off?
Already, the herd is thin. Where there used to be at least 20 to 30 movie reviews available on the wire from the various papers across the country. Now, you'll be lucky to get 10, and it's usually only for the week's big release(s). Only a couple of critics weigh in on every small movie.
And TV? Good luck with that. There's still a couple, but they are mostly relegated to doing feature stories disguised as insightful critiques. Music? A handful (including one still at the PE).
But what about the blogosphere, the free sharing of ideas on the 'Net?
Well, as much as I appreciate all of you reading, I can't imagine anyone taking my advice on their entertainment options, nor should my name and a quote from a "review" be used on any packaging.

On that note, thanks for reading.

Fast Food Friday

2009-05-08T01:11:00.000-07:00

We all know that eating out is bad for us. Especially your typical fast food meal. And I know that others are out there doing this (and someone I know who USED to do it), but I want to hit a relatively light topic as we hit the weekend (and typically no posts on Saturdays or Sundays), so I thought why not talk about the food at the restaurants we hit way too often.
(Oh, and it won't be just fast food. I'm going to try and get things from all the typical chains, as available).
We'll start with Jack In The Box's new Mini Sirloin Burgers.
Costing $3.99 on their own, the three-pack of burgers come in their own box, dressed with ketchup, cheese and grilled onions on toasted buns.
You look at the price, and you'll probably wonder if it's worth it to get three smaller burgers, versus one big burger. But when it comes to their comparable sirloin burgers, the minis provide the chance to taste the burger without all the extra toppings that load down the others. Their simplicity is its greatest attribute.
And these things aren't tiny, two bites and you're done. Each one gives you a chance to sit there, take a bite and enjoy. The toasted bun adds a nice extra taste, and the simplicity of the toppings leaves you without the worry of things dripping down onto your shirt. And the best part, they don't glob the ketchup on top of them, like many burger places tend to do (or, even better, do what I normally do, order it without ketchup. They're even better).
Oh, and if you're looking at the three burgers and thinking, oy, it's gonna hit me hard on the waistline, you'd be wrong. The company's listed nutrition information has the minis weighing in at 748 calories, with only 267 of those coming from fat (and 29 grams of fat). Their regular sirloin cheeseburger, meanwhile, comes in at 941 calories, with a whopping 538 of those from fat (and 59 grams of fat). And while the carbs are a little higher (77 vs. 60), I can't say it's enough to outweigh the fat intake.
(Quick side note, you can check out Jack In The Box's Web site for all the nutritional info, including an option to build your complete meal.)
So, go ahead and give them a try. If you like a good burger, it's definitely worth it.

Have a good weekend. See you back on Monday with the Random Thoughts.

KROQ's Limp Weenie

2009-05-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

(USING MY BEST RADIO ANNOUNCER VOICE): Hey everyone, tickets for the Weenie Roast y Fiesta go on sale today! Take a look at this lineup that's been gathered for one of the flagship events of the summer in Southern California! Aren't you excited?

I, for one, say meh.

The KROQ Weenie Roast, one of the great festival-type shows in the region for many years, is going soft. This year's lineup inspires so little excitement in me that I'm finding that it's not even worth it to try and call in to win tickets for free.

Now, in fairness, I've never been to a Weenie Roast, and have only been to one KROQ-run show, the first Inland Invasion (before it was moved to LA). And I'm far from a full-time music critic. But every year, when they announce the Roast, I find myself looking down the lineup with some sort of jealousy because I know I won't be able to go.

This year? Let's look at the headliners.

Weezer? OK, they're pretty cool, and Gina loves them, so they get a pass. But they're the headliner, so they're going to have to bring it.

Kings of Leon? I really can't say much about the band. They play the little snippets of their songs in the big promotion commercial, and they sort of blend in to the rest of the music on the radio. And that's not a good thing.

Jimmy Eat World? Have liked the songs I've heard from them ... which all got overplayed on stations across the dial. Probably would be cool to see them live, but...

The rest of the bill is filled with the usual "band-of-the-moment" acts, such as Silversun Pickups, Cage the Elephant, The Airborne Toxic Event and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs. All of them fine bands, I'm sure.

But, and maybe I'm being overly harsh here, where's that one REALLY big act? Where's Green Day (who has an album the station has been "World Premiering" songs from coming out the weekend of the show)? Where's No Doubt (who's touring for the first time in years right now)? Heck, why not even the Offspring (who also are out supporting a new album)?

The problems are two-fold. First and foremost is the economy. We all know about that, and I won't belabor the point, other than ticket prices aren't astronomical for the show ($65 for seats, $55 for lawn, plus Ticketmaster's fees).

The bigger problem, though, is KROQ seems to be in the middle of an identity crisis. The "World Famous" is struggling with who it's audience is supposed to be at this point. Is it supposed to be me, the nearly 40-year-old who has been with the station for his adult life? Or is it supposed to be for the teen aged rocker who wants to hear the next big thing?

And if you listen, I'm not sure they know. Any given hour, you'll hear a song (or two) from Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Smashing Pumpkins or Pearl Jam. All cool jams, but all venturing into the 90's. Sure you'll also get new music from other "older" KROQ bands, such as Green Day, the Offspring or Red Hot Chili Peppers. But a lot of times, their back catalogs get as much play as the newer offerings.

This identity issue can be traced to the current music scene as well. Since the "emo" movement seems to have faded away (thankfully), there's not that one unifying genre of rock to play. The last time I can remember this happening was back in the mid-90's, when you could tune in and hear swing (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Squirrel Nut Zippers), nu-metal (Limp Bizkit, Korn) and ska (Save Ferris, Reel Big Fish) on the radio, mixed in with the punks and grunge.

Blame the iPod. When everyone's walking around with 500+ songs in a tiny device, it makes it hard to program a station that's still trying to live up to its "World Famous" status.

Oh, I'm sure things will work out. They always seem to in the music business. Bands are still going to need airplay to generate interest and sales. It's not like they'll harness the power of the Internet, making over-the-air radio stations seem as obsolete as a printed newspaper.

Nah ... couldn't happen. Or could it?

Quacked Up

2009-05-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

It finally hit me.
I had the epiphany.
The thing that really, really bothers me about the Ducks.
It's the fans.
Not all of them, mind you. I know plenty of people who are fans of the team who are with them through thick and thin. Through the bad times and the good.
But when we're this deep into the playoffs, and they're winning that everyone in Orange County starts wearing orange and black, and proclaiming their love for the area's hockey team.
(And I really don't care about the non-goal that Detroit had go against it in Game 3. Those are the breaks. They tend to even out throughout the season. This just happened in a playoff game in front of the national media.)
The bandwagon is rolling along, and getting crowded. Full of people who didn't watch a single game this season, who are once again crowing about their Ducks.
Sure, every team in every sport has its share of frontrunners. But it seems to be a bigger problem in hockey than in other sports. So much so, the Yahoo Sports Puck Daddy blog dedicated a whole segment to weeding out the newbies from the long-time fans.
OK, so I'm just a bitter Kings fan who's stuck watching his cross-town rival make a run at their *shudder* second Stanley Cup (and mark my word, whoever wins this series will win the West and play for the Cup). And I take plenty of ribbing from my fellow hockey fans, who love to point out that any hockey still being played in Southern California is better than none. It's a valid point, but A) I don't have to like it; and B) It won't help a darn thing.
Face it. If you were a Dodgers fan in 2002, you had a heckuva time enjoying the World Series, seeing the Angels supplant you as the better-run team in SoCal, play against your hated rival, the San Francisco Giants. What would happen to Lakers fans if the Clippers went to the finals (besides hell freezing over and pigs flying, I mean)? I feel the same way about the Ducks. It's not fun.
And more Ducks games will mean more publicity for the sport in the local papers? Sure, they'll have coverage. But I can guarantee that there are people in management cursing about it, because it's taking space away from other local sports and it's going to eat up their budgets the longer they play.
Things aren't the same as they were two years ago, when papers were able to sell a special section full of ads to allow for more coverage (and got the Cup to make an appearance at my office). And when there's not enough reporters left to actually write any of the stories ...
So, real Ducks fans (and you know who you are), enjoy the ride. And I hope that real soon I'll be complaining about the bandwagon fans that are making it hard for me to enjoy a Kings game.