Saturday, December 21, 2024
We Need a Sacramento Version of This
@citiesbydiana Day in the Life of a Santa Cruz Leftist ππ²π’π΄ #satire#meme#americacoreππππΊπΈ#americantrucksimulator #santacruz#california #santacruzmedicinals ♬ original sound - πΏπππ£π
@citiesbydiana Day in the Life of a Sacramento Transplant π¨πΎππ½️π£️ Game: American Truck Simulator #satire#americantrucksimulator#meme#tiktokpartner #sacramento #sfbayarea #california#916#916tiktok ♬ original sound - πΏπππ£π
Split Force
I found it very interesting to watch the machinations around the recent short-term federal budget extension and the near governmental shutdown. The closest parallel I could think of was Custer at the Little Bighorn, who unwisely split his forces in the face of an enemy whose size he couldn't properly perceive.
Even though the GOP has, and will have, the smallest majority ever in the history of the House of Representatives, both Trump and Musk felt they could forge a mighty hammer out of that tiny majority and keep it unified by making threats to primary disobedient congress members. Trump/Musk wanted to simply roll over their split force, the GOP conservative majority and the faction of budget-conscious ultra-conservatives. That conservative faction, however, has a very long history and listens to no one. Not even good cop (Trump) and bad cop (Musk) could sledgehammer their party into a unified force. Their threats lacked credibility. And the Democrats are still there, with their very large minority.
Trump/Musk is at peak strength now. That team is bound to fade quite quickly. Like Custer, their arrogance will lead to big mistakes.
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
2024/25 California Rainy Season, to Date
A quick summary of the California rainy season, to date. Northern California is very wet (rainfall is 144% of normal for the season for Sacramento Executive Airport). In stark contrast, Southern California, the land of rampaging fires, is very dry.
Starting on Saturday we'll start seeing a lot more rain in Norcal (with lots of rain on Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas), but there's no indication any rain will fall at all in SoCal until New Year's Eve.
Monday, December 16, 2024
Major Lunar Standstill Sunday Night Moonrise
[Sunday night, December 15th] The full moon is nearly overhead - about 28 degrees north - and about as far north as it ever gets, in this year of major lunar standstill. Enjoy!
More on the major lunar standstill at the Griffith Observatory in LA:
Grammarian, Under Pressure
@elle.cordova Grammarian vs Errorist, a supervillain showdown
♬ original sound - Elle Cordova
Monday, December 09, 2024
Ok, Was That Worm Sign, or Are The Tectonic Plates Doing Their Thing?
A 5.7 quake from out in Yerington, NV.
It was interesting how I heard the quake before I felt it. A tick-tick-tick sound as the house was quietly swaying. I’m sure it was the quake proper; it just grew in intensity as time passed. But yes, we can be like the animals and notice these things as they happen.
Starting to Release the Inmates in Syria's Saydnaya Prison
This is extraordinary - starting to release the more than 100K political prisoners in Syria's Saydnaya Prison.
#Syria: those are the first moments after Rebels reached the infamous Saydnaya prison N. of #Damascus and started to liberate prisoners. pic.twitter.com/OprYkMN8r2
— Qalaat Al Mudiq (@QalaatAlMudiq) December 8, 2024
Sunday, December 08, 2024
Green Valley VerteFΓ©e Cabaret - Let's Get Elfed Up - December 6, 2024
It was a good time, at First Christian Church, 3901 Folsom Blvd., just a short distance where I once lived (1992-1995). It was great seeing Rachel perform, and also seeing old friends like Nick Thompson and Tilly O'Laughlin. Plus, Ashley, and I didn't realize Dana was in the show. Dana used to be a ballet regular; need to make her a regular again.
We love the holidays, which is why we eviscerate them from the inside out! We hope you’ll join us for the The VerteFΓ©e Cabaret’s special brand of holiday cheer! Green Valley Theatre Company has revived the time-honored tradition of the cabaret. In this ever-changing and evolving show, some of the most talented (and depraved) performers from Sacramento and beyond cast aside convention (and often their bras). The VerteFΓ©e Cabaret is a bohemian, absinthe-soaked extravaganza in spirit of French cabarets and the raunchy, satirized Weimar shows of 1930’s Germany. In keeping with the vaudeville tradition, The VerteFΓ©e presents unique yet classic humor that straddles the line between witty and blasphemous, where offense is not intended, it’s just a bonus.I particularly liked the segments on the Nutcracker, and Dad Jokes.
I Didn't Feel That Earthquake on December 5th
I was driving to my new job, so didn't feel it. I bet my dog Jasper felt it, though. The wood frame of my house amplifies vibrations, and I've felt tremors that others didn't.
Emily Wilson on "The Iliad"
Speaking of the classics, here is Emily Wilson, our translator of "The Iliad."
"The Return"
Since I'm in Gabe's classics book club, I suppose it's mandatory to see this! The return of Odysseus to Ithaca. Now showing at the Tower Theater. It stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche (who also starred in my favorite movie of this century, "The Clouds of Sils Maria").
Which reminds me, the book club will meet again on Tuesday evening. Must reread Chapter 14.....
Substitute Teaching Assistant
I haven't had a regular job for more than eight years. Still, there's no denying that some kind of regular, part-time job could help with finances. But what job? After a false start earlier this year, I found something that I hope will be suitable, at least for awhile: Substitute Teaching Assistant for the California Montessori Project. So low on the totem pole that I'm subterranean. And today (December 5th) was the first day of work (at their Capitol campus; all grades).
It was a sensory overload kind of day. My job today was to assist with lunch and recess, for kindergartners and older kids too, plus monitor them prior to their parents picking them up towards evening. Lots of time on my feet.
Most of the kids were a bit wary of me at first, which I expected. I'm a new man, much older than anyone else in the school. Still, some of the kids approached me, as kids will, out of curiosity. I talked to one ten-year-old boy. He was the classic lonely boy in a new school, having troubles with adjusting. We talked about long-duration space flight.
Still, the 5-to-6 year old kids were the most charming. One girl explained that she was the Queen of Hearts and that she daydreams a lot. Another girl, with a slight Russian accent (Sacramento has a large Russian community) explained that she has three birthdays (about which I still need clarification). In midafternoon, a boy felt overwhelmed by fatigue and tried to nap by kneeling at the foot of a slide and using the slide as a pillow, which caused problems when the other kids used the slide as designed. Several girls spilled dirt across the tops of several basketballs, added wood chips and pine needles, and played hair stylist. Several kids showed me loose baby teeth, absent baby teeth, and new permanent teeth.
All pretty charming. And if I'm good at this maybe I can aspire to the lofty goal of Substitute Teacher.
(It’s interesting to be the rule enforcer when I have no idea what the rules are. “Can I go outside?” Well, why not? It’s a free country and it’s a beautiful day outside.)
Wednesday, December 04, 2024
Cult of the Five Turkeys
The Five Turkeys of the neighborhood found Jasper intriguing and started following him. His faithful little avian cult.
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Balloon Crashes Into Radio Tower
I missed this news from Albuquerque last month. These towers are pretty tall and dramatic parts of the skyline.
Monday, November 25, 2024
RIP, Fred Harris
John notes that former Oklahoma Senator Fred Harris passed away.I didn't realize he had been living in Corrales since 1976. The neighbor I never knew. One of the good guys:
Harris ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976, quitting after poor showings in early contests, including a fourth-place win in New Hampshire. The more moderate Jimmy Carter went on to win the presidency.
Harris moved to New Mexico that year and became a political science professor at the University of New Mexico. He wrote and edited more than a dozen books, mostly on politics and Congress. In 1999 he broadened his writings with a mystery set in Depression-era Oklahoma.
Throughout his political career, Harris was a leading liberal voice for civil rights and anti-poverty programs to help minorities and the disadvantaged.
“Democrats everywhere will remember Fred for his unparalleled integrity and as a pioneer for instituting core progressive values of equity and opportunity for prosperity as core tenets of our party,” the Democratic Party of New Mexico said in a statement.
Along with his first wife, LaDonna, a Comanche, he also was active in Native American issues.
“I’ve always called myself a populist or progressive,” Harris said in a 1998 interview. “I’m against concentrated power. I don’t like the power of money in politics. I think we ought to have programs for the middle class and working class.”
Worst Walk Ever
Jasper and I were walking along 21st Street on a rainy evening, approaching the intersection with Broadway, right next to Creole Soul Restaurant. At the same time, the driver of a northbound car decided to turn left onto Broadway, and didn’t account for the fact that the southbound driver had the right of way.
BOOM!
I jumped back. The southbound car was coming straight for us on the sidewalk. Fortunately the car stopped about thirty feet away from us, but the crunchy plastic debris from the collision sprayed forward about twenty feet away from us. The northbound car spun around and faced nearly south.
And so we waited for the emergency vehicles. Witnesses tried to help. Air bags had gone off, filling the cars with worrisome smoke. The southbound driver complained about neck and shoulder pain. Jasper sat in the plastic debris, thinking this was the worst walk ever. A woman came over (emergency contact for the southbound driver), fussed over Jasper, and told him “this must be your worst walk ever!”
The police didn’t need my witness statement. Other witnesses had better views. Jasper and I walked on.
Precipitation Map of Recent Rains
Here is a map of rainfall over the past week (Nov. 17-23). Rainfall was very uneven, concentrated on high elevations in the Coast Range, and also around Redding and just east of Chico. Local rains were substantial - 2.68 inches at Sacramento Executive Airport - but they pale in comparison to other places. There are isolated places that got more than 20 inches of rain: 24+ inches, northwest of Santa Rosa.
They Have Their Master; So Do You
Jasper and I were walking along 21st Street and saw that the door to the Aikido Studio was open. Jasper stopped, looked in, and tried to grasp the scene. Twenty students dressed in white robes were kneeling in a perfect line as they listened raptly to their master. I tugged Jasper's leash and whispered, "Come, Jasper. They have their master; so do you."
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
A Temperature Bump
That's kinda cool. Here in Sacramento we are in the "warm sector," in advance of the approaching cold front. Despite the usual pattern of temperatures dropping after sunset, at about 10 pm, temperatures bumped upwards by two degrees before dropping again. Some of that warm air from the south is getting pulled north as the storm approaches. It's not as cold as last night. If we could just lock the storm in place maybe we could lose some clothes.
Jasper Reaches Safeway!
Today is a landmark day. As part of his ongoing effort to explore the Newton Booth neighborhood, Jasper walked all the way to Safeway. I thought it was too far for him and his little legs, but I was wrong. He may be a silly dog, but he is in robust good health.
Safeway was the favorite destination of Bella, my previous dog. Bella loved finding food in the bushes at Safeway, including that one time she found an entire, intact rotisserie chicken. When Bella passed away in 2016, I buried her tags under this rock.
Monday, November 18, 2024
Beautiful Lunar Display
We are in the year of maximum lunar standstill, the culmination of the 18.5 cycle, whereby the Moon swings to the maximum northern and southern paths that it can possibly reach.
The last four nights, the full Moon has put on a magnificent display. It's so far north now (+27.5 degrees) that it passes almost directly overhead here in Sacramento. It's wonderful! We have about eight more months of this. It'll be 2043/44 before we see the like again!
Favorite Top 10 Pop Song List For 2024
I was thinking it's about time for 2024 end-of-year lists, and I wanted to do a favorite Top 10 pop song list for the year. I ran into two problems:
1.) It's hard to keep the list to just ten songs; and,
2.) Most of the songs were released well before 2024.
Oh well!
I've been tracking pop tunes since 1969. My head is jammed with various pop tunes and genres. Pop music is evanescent by nature, and should expire fairly quickly (thus, I loathe the Classic Rock format, which keeps zombie songs going for decades and ignores older tunes that never got much air play.)
Anyway, here are my fave pop tunes from 2024 (or actually 2023, as it may be):
It was a Chappell Roan year. The Midwest Princess' "Hot To Go" and "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl (both from 2023) are great!
Other tunes:
Sam Fender "People Watching" (2024)
Olivia Rodrigo "Bad Idea Right?" (2023)
Taylor Swift/Ice Spice "Karma" (2023)
Taylor Swift "Anti-Hero" (2022)
Malandra Jr. "Sveva" (2021)
Sabrina Carpenter "Feather" (2023)
Young Fathers "I Saw" (2022)
Doja Cat "Agora Hills" (2023)
Rema/Selena Gomez "Calm Down" (2023)
And for honorable mention:
Rosalia - "Con Altura" (2019)
I wouldn't even mention Rosalia except George Morales had the uncommon, unbelievable luck of serving her on a transatlantic flight earlier this year. Plus, even though she sings reggaetΓ³n, she grew up in flamenco culture, and her songs feature many flamenco references. It's fun to tease them out (De Las Islas).
Friday, November 15, 2024
We’ve Been Here Before
@nowthisimpact ‘Bueller? Bueller?’ — This iconic scene with Ben Stein might be 37 years old but feels like essential viewing as we all argue about tariffs #taxes #trump #economy #films ♬ original sound - NowThis Impact
ISS Alert!
Jasper and I stumbled out into the wet Sacramento streets for the early-evening walk. Jasper turned unexpectedly on a nearby street. We approached a man standing motionless on the sidewalk there in the dark murk.
"Do you want to see the International Space Station?" the man asked. He pointed upwards at a bright star - brighter than Venus - moving rapidly northeast across the sky broken with clouds. "Wow!" I said. (I used love watching satellites as a kid.) "How do you know it's the ISS?" "I have this app," he replied. "It dings 15 minutes ahead of time. Usually the ISS isn't quite so bright, but the sun has barely set, so it's catching the full rays of the sun."
He was beaming and happy to share his interest.
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Matt Gaetz Tapped for Pervert-General
Matt Gaetz for Attorney General! Hard to imagine! It’s like the Jefferey Epstein Child Sex Memorial Act of 2024! Child sex for everyone!
I enjoy listening to the Tik Tok videos of the Knitting Cult Lady, who grew up in the Children of God sex cult. She says that all organizations run as cults will inevitably degrade into child sex cults, because there is no better way for the cult leader to demonstrate their power. Trump is demonstrating just how that works.
The Senate used to have leaders, but these days they are just cringey wraiths. They will not resist Trump’s plan. There used to be people in this country outraged by child sex trafficking, but most of them joined Trump’s cult, so they won’t resist either. Republicans will be split on the issue.
No, once again it’s up to Democrats, and Democrats alone, to remind people that sex with children is immoral and illegal.
A New Tropical Depression
There is a developing tropical depression forming in the Caribbean, likely to be called Sara when it reaches tropical storm strength. Modeling over the last day is fairly consistent, showing the storm meandering for awhile but then breaking free and reaching the west coast of Florida around Wednesday, November 20th. It’s as if Milton and Helene will get together and have a daughter. Something to keep an eye on.
Sunday, November 10, 2024
"The Room"
Even though I saw "The Disaster Artist" in 2017, a comedy about the making of Tommy Wiseau's 2003 "The Room," I had never actually seen the movie until last night at the Tower Theater.
There were about thirty people in the audience, all ready to see, by popular agreement, one of the worst movies ever made, but for that very reason, something of a modern masterpiece. There was a Rocky Horror ambiance about it. Everyone seemed to have plastic spoons to toss at critical times. Interludes that featured San Francisco Bay were met with chants of "water, water!" Views of Golden Gate traffic were met with chants of "go, go!" Views of the city were met with "meanwhile in San Francisco!" And, of course, the classic meme, "Oh, hi Mark!"
Could We See a Revival of the Klan?
The recent texts to Blacks and Hispanics telling them to report for cotton-picking duty caught my attention. It struck me as an update to old-fashioned Ku Klux Klan terror tactics.
Perhaps we are going to see a revival of the Klan, perhaps the fourth surge in its history, or if not the Klan, some organization like it. The second revival of the Klan came after WW1 and was driven by anti-immigration and pro-Prohibition sentiment; similar to today's border frenzy and stricter abortion laws.
I think it's unlikely that any mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, or mass crackdowns on young women, will succeed, in part, because local police will be required. Many agencies won't cooperate, because they are already busy enough. Still, militant, engaged civilians could step in where the police won't:
From the beginning, Prohibition was tied up with anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic biases. Many of its advocates were white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants who thought only people like them could be “real Americans.” They believed the country was under siege by Catholic immigrants from countries like Italy, and that these people threatened the U.S. with their foreign drinking habits and saloons.
“It was really a battle for cultural supremacy in a country that was changing,” says Thomas R. Pegram, a history professor at Loyola University Maryland and the author of One Hundred Percent American: The Rebirth and Decline of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. “Prohibition became a way in which that could be enforced in local communities.”
Saturday, November 09, 2024
The Most-Annoying, Gobsmackingly Asinine Justification I Saw For Voting For Trump
This fellow is a Facebook Friend, but right now I want to dropkick him to New Caledonia. Should I Unfriend him? SOOOO STUPID!:
My fellow Americans,
I am but one person, who, like at present count, over 130 million others, let his voice be heard last evening. As we begin this journey into tomorrow, I offer you this:
I am a father, a brother, a Christian, bi-racial, a cousin, a neighbor, and a friend. In a word, I’m an American. Remember that as we move forward from today. I can’t begin, in my limited concept of language, to convey all the reasons some made the choice they made – and while others didn’t. I can, however, speak to my house.
I am lucky enough to have a job that provides for the things this life demands. I am lucky enough, to receive regular raises in that job. To date, since this current administration has taken office, I have received eight. In that time, regrettably, I, like so many others I have talked to – have found it harder and harder to make ends meet. I, through the grace of God have been able to keep the lights on, so to speak, but I have felt the tightening of the belt. This is the first time, in my adult life, that I have had such an experience.
I have a relative that was not born here. She, legally, immigrated to the land I call home, has made a life for herself here, and is a part of our family. I have watched, in recent times, those who cheat the system, seem to get a better handout than those who have resided here their entire lives.
On college campuses throughout America, a hatefulness (burning American flags, threats to Jewish students) has stemmed from the war. When I first joined the voting public, I was a registered Democrat. As I have journeyed through life, socially, I have become more of a moderate, and fiscally, conservative. This shift brought about a change in my party affiliation in recent years. Another deciding factor for the change has been, my perceived belief that one party deals much more in identity politics. As a member of one of those ‘tribes,’ I felt labeled. My question was – why are we not looking for an American answer?
What am I saying? For those whose party affiliation is not the same as the presumptive nominee – your worst fears did not materialize in 2016. I again believe, your worst fears will not materialize as a result of this election. I am ever hopeful that America, not demographics, will prosper in this new/old administration. I am ever hopeful that we as a people, can focus on our similarities, not our differences. I am ever hopeful that prosperity will return to the corners of our lives that has lost it in recent years.
Stay positive my friends. Different isn’t bad. Different isn’t evil. I have no hate/ill will toward those who disagree. My vote was not an attempt to do anything more than return this land to a better time. A time where I felt more productive, more financially sound – where the outlook of tomorrow was brighter.
If you are part of a group that has fear – know I hear you, know I care, but also know – prosperity for some is not prosperity for all. That is my hope. All.
I chose to rise above demographics this election – and shoot for the greater good. I hope you will stay positive for that outcome as well – and we can together keep those appointed accountable for that achievement.
Let this be our prayer.
All my love,
The Simplest Explanation
The big mystery this month is accounting for Trump's victory. Most of the explanations I've seen have so many counter-examples that they aren't persuasive. This essay has probably the simplest, most-useful explanation:
Despite the trauma and death of Covid and the isolation of lockdowns, from late 2020 to early 2021, Americans briefly experienced the freedom of social democracy. They had enough liquid money to plan long term and make spending decisions for their own pleasure rather than just to survive. They had the labor protections to look for the jobs they wanted rather than feel stuck in the jobs they had. At the end of Trump’s term, the American standard of living and the amount of economic security and freedom Americans had was higher than when it started, and, with the loss of this expanded welfare state, it was worse when Biden left office, despite his real policy wins for workers and unions. This is why voters view Trump as a better shepherd of the economy.I think people will be shocked by what the Republicans have in store for them now!
The Erasure of History Has Already Started
@tadstoermer Colonial Williamsburg’s deletion of their ‘OurAmericanRevolution.org’ site—an invaluable, honest resource on the American Revolution’s complexities—feels like ‘obedience in advance’ to those who’d rather see history sanitized than examined. This was more than a website; it included crucial perspectives on slavery, Indigenous histories, and insights from leading historians. Now? Gone. This erasure isn’t accidental—it’s a warning. Are we about to see more sites, more resources, vanish in favor of a ‘comfortable’ narrative? Watch closely, folks, because history doesn’t disappear by itself. #honesthistory #colonialwilliamsburg #publichistory ♬ original sound - Tad Stoermer
Thursday, November 07, 2024
Election Day Night
I’m going to get up tomorrow morning and be the best damned anti-fascist I can be. The hell with this rule by lunatic traitors.
Tuesday, November 05, 2024
Election Day
Just returned from morning walk around the neighborhood with Jasper.
An unfamiliar homeless guy was tottering silently around the dumpster for nearby apartments. He looked way, way gone.
A woman was picking up her “Harris for President” signs that had been torn down and tossed. I told her I was pleasantly surprised that I hadn’t seen ANY Trump signs in the neighborhood this election season. “No one would dare put up a Trump sign in THIS neighborhood,” she replied, as she reassembled her signs. And it’s true, this is the bluest precinct in the entire city, with 90% of the voters typically voting Democratic.
Jasper and I passed by the neighborhood voting location. Two women with the “Cofer for Mayor” campaign chatted with approaching voters just outside the 100 foot limit signs out front. Things looked orderly.
The Inimitable James Carville
@realjamescarville Professional Truth Tellers π€¦♂️ @politicon_news | Get tickets to Matt Tyrnauer's documentary "Carville: Winning Is Everything Stupid" at CarvilleDoc.com/tickets or through the link in my bio π¬πΏ #politicstiktok #politicalnews #political #documentary #jamescarville #carville #politics #news #carvilledoc jamescarvilledoc #carvilledocumentary #politicstiktok #funny #fyp #foryou #bts #behindthescenes #politicon
♬ original sound - James Carville
Elon Musk’s America PAC Door Knockers for Trump
The abusive conditions under which Elon Musk’s America PAC Door Knockers for Trump work under in Michigan. Somehow you just knew it was going to be this way:
Muldrow and the rest of her canvassing group of roughly a dozen people had just been fired en masse, after WIRED reported that they had been tricked and threatened as part of Musk’s get-out-the-vote effort. Speaking publicly for the first time about her ordeal, Muldrow says that the canvassers in her group were fired with little explanation beyond a complaint that someone had spoken with the press. Many, including her, were still owed money. Muldrow had to find her own way home; others are still stranded in Michigan.
Getting to the Essence of it All
Getting to the essence of it all. Someone I know once told me “People keep saying Trump is a racist, but I don’t see that at all.” The guy keeps skating.
@convosfromtennessee These two absolutely crush it when talking about “white privilege” and how we simply give Trump a free pass for all the terrible shit he says and does because of it, a pass that noone else could ever get. #moveon #kamalaharris #white #whiteprivilege #fame #wealth #genz #fyp #greenscreenvideo #vanlathan ♬ original sound - A-Aron
They Are After Me
Jasper and I walked over to V and 19th Streets this evening. Jasper was keen to explore the neighborhood beyond, called Newton Booth: new smells, new dogs, and an expanse of lawns never visited before. I pulled him back. “It’s just too far away,” I said. Despite his pleading we began returning home.
Passing the Broadway light rail station, a woman approached and asked, “Can I walk with you? I was over by the Catholic store, and I’m worried about all these black men. They are following me! I should have gotten on that light rail train. Should I have gotten on that light rail train? Can we walk, maybe towards the McDonalds? They are after me.” (She seemed to have a kind of nervous, paranoid energy. I looked around. There were several black men nearby. They were all shuffling along while looking at their shoes and didn’t reveal or express the slightest interest in her. I said, “It looks pretty safe right here.”)
“Can we pray?” she said, and paused for a few seconds of prayer.
“You don’t understand,” she said. “I have an envelope with money in it. Five thousand dollars! They know I have it!” (I wondered how anyone might know she had lots of cash?) “They’ve taken my purse and my car and my belongings” she said. (Who are ‘they’?) “I need a place to stay. I was staying in two motels in West Sacramento, but all they had there was cold water. The Econo Lodge was better, but they wanted a deposit.”
“A deposit? I’m afraid I can’t help. I don’t have any money,” I said. (And it’s true, I rarely walk Jasper while carrying a wallet.) “No, you don’t understand,” she laughed, rolling her eyes. “I don’t want anything like money. I need to explain. I wish I had my wig with me. I’m quite the good looker!” (Really? Something seemed up with her teeth.) “Maybe I should find a place to couch surf?” she said.
She continued: “My father is a billionaire. A billionaire! But he doesn’t let me take out more than a hundred – no, fifty - dollars a day.” (“Oh, so he’s just parsing out the money,” I said.) “Yes!” she replied. (Then I got distracted, because parsing was clearly the wrong word. What is the right word? English has so many words. I must be tired. It’s all this walking to reveal to Jasper a tantalizing new neighborhood.)
“My father is one of those corrupt billionaires,” she said. (“Ah, a corrupt billionaire. Not one of those straight-arrow billionaires,” I thought.) “Yes, he tried to kill me in prison!” (“That’s interesting,” I thought. “Was it her prison cell or his prison cell? Or were they both in prison together? And why? Maybe it was all that close company? It can drive anyone bonkers.”)
“What I really need is a place to stay,” she said. “Can we pray?” (And she paused for prayer again.)
“I’m afraid I can’t help,” I repeated. So, she walked off to wait for the light rail train, surrounded by various inattentive but I assume menacing black men, and Jasper and I headed in the opposite direction for home, clearly not fully understanding her plight.
(The well of human need is infinitely deep.)
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Birthday Dinner and Show at Twin Lotus Thai, Featuring Vivian Lee
Rachel took me out for birthday dinner and a show at Twin Lotus Thai (TLT), featuring jazz singer Vivian Lee. It was an excellent time! I didn't know about this place before. Almost a stone's throw from last week's burning homeless encampment.
Happy Days Are Here Again
I think people are getting overly-nervous about the upcoming election. Modern technology gives us the illusion of omniscience, but in the days before television people just had to accept that there was a lot they just didn’t know, and that it was all right. It’s still true!
The 2024 presidential election is already the best of my lifetime; maybe the best ever. Never have the differences between tickets been starker. Kamala Harris/Tim Walz are the best set of candidates I’ve ever seen: Donald Trump/JD Vance are the embodiment of evil. Can’t get better than that!
Most American historians think the 1896 clash between William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan was the most exciting election in American history, with up to 90% turnout of eligible voters. I hope we can get turnout like that!
When I get fidgety about the election I pull out my copy of journalist Jay Franklin’s “What We Are About To Receive,” published in 1932, and a follow-up to his 1931 book, “What This Country Needs.” The country desperately needed a new direction but would this set of candidates rise to the occasion? Jay Franklin was beside himself with anxiety.
President Herbert Hoover: “Whatever the facts are, Herbert Hoover is himself. He does not pretend to be a hero, saint, or second Lincoln. He is neither an imitation Roosevelt nor a synthetic Wilson. He may or may not be a good President, a great man, or even a good engineer, but he acts and talks like no one else on earth and does not hesitate to follow his own line, against all advice and all indications of public opinion. … He is as undramatic as a porcelain bathtub, as unspectacular as a cash register, as unmagnetic as a telegraph pole….”
Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt: “He is an irrepressible candidate. Scarcely a day goes by or an issue bobs up but Roosevelt hits the front page with a statement, or something. … There is a widespread conviction that Franklin Roosevelt lacks guts, that he can’t force the pace or take punishment, and that when cornered he will play dead dog. He is not a fighter. … Roosevelt represents the all but forgotten strain of chivalry, untempered by self-righteous morality, in the tradition of our public life. … On every other issue – tariff, farm relief, disarmament, foreign policy, banking policy, social unrest – he is as hard to pin down as a live eel on a sheet of oilcloth.”
Franklin also looked at Al Smith and a number of other politicians.
Franklin concludes:
“We shall survive and the world will survive, no matter who is elected President of the United States on November 8, 1932. A hundred years from now our race will still be here, the petty problems of today forgotten, our ridiculous worries over taxation and prosperity rendered insignificant by the march of science and the progress of human events. To paraphrase Macaulay, sources of energy which are still unimagined, machines not dreamed of by inventors yet unborn, laws not even suspected by our wisest legislators, and new ways of thought and standards of conduct which will regard our most profound statesmanship as childish, will reduce our present miseries to a chapter, then to a paragraph, and finally to a footnote in history.
Future schoolchildren may be compelled to memorize the name – together with those of our other presidents – of the man whom we elect in 1932; it is doubtful, nonetheless, that in 2032 more than one educated man out of a hundred will be able to state, offhand, what he accomplished in office or what his election signified. For we are still too young to have learned the only lesson of history, which is that politics, though lots of fun, is only the result and not the cause of human progress.”
For myself, this is how I feel about this election:
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
The Trump Campaign Is Now Trying To Deny Its Obvious Hatred of Puerto Ricans
Can't run; can't hide:
Travis Akers, a retired Naval Intelligence Officer and Newsweek opinion writer, responded to that by saying, "That rhetoric from the Trump rally absolutely reflects the GOP values. This is exactly who your party under Donald Trump has become."
"Marriage of Figaro" - Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera - October 25, 2024
Judging from Facebook, almost everyone I knew was there, but the only person I recognized was Eileen, the Usher (and my neighbor from two blocks away).
It was hard to quite figure out what was going on. At intermission I hastily read the program to catch up. Apparently this is the second opera in a series about Figaro (The Barber of Seville is first). It had a musical-theater feel to it, with even a trendy cause for 1786 (getting rid of droit du seigneur), like many modern musicals have.
A good show! Thanks to Gabe and Eleanor for the ticket.
Doctor Humor
Thinking about doctor humor this morning (October 24, 2024).
I visited the doctor who gave me my cardiac catheter ablation three months ago. The most common difficulty is that the procedure doesn’t quite hold and has to be done again. So far, though, I’ve had no trouble.
I’ve found this doctor to be somewhat awkward- maybe more comfortable with video games than with people - but I’m still grateful to him and glad his procedure is holding and also surprised at the procedure’s effectiveness. So I said, “Who would have thought how relatively easy it all was?” His jaw dropped, he started laughing, and said, “Maybe for you!”
I like doctor humor and the idea of relegating cardiac problems to the past.
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Up In Flames
Driving, I reached Folsom Blvd. and turned east instead of west, as I should have, and was startled. I saw a young blonde woman walking west beside the road, in sturdy walking shoes and a two-piece black bathing suit. But even more striking, behind her, an intense fire had erupted in a homeless encampment across the railroad and light rail tracks.
I stopped, as did an excitable young man (long, flowing dirty-blonde hair and big floppy hat). We both clambered across the tracks (light rail trains coming from both sides!) The young man called 911. They asked for the address. He didn’t know - there was no address - but it was across from the Folsom Blvd. Flea Market.
The fire was burning near a tent, and adjacent to a fire circle, so it was adjacent to a possible ignition source, but it was unclear why the fire was burning so damned hot. There must have been some kind of petroleum product there; maybe plastic tarps or some kind of fuel. We both shouted into the tent in case anyone was asleep or unconscious there. There was a minor explosion. We pulled back a bicycle and some crates from the flames and started to dismantle the tent in order to save the bedding at least. Fortunately, firemen arrived quickly. The firehouse was located nearby.
So, we all went our separate ways, but the Tarantino corner of my brain still wondered if the young woman was somehow involved.
I posted about this fire on Facebook and lots of people sensed that there was a cinematic aspect to it - like, we've all seen this movie before. "Kill Bill" came up. I was thinking maybe "Natural Born Killers," "Sin City," or "Terminator 2." Then, in passing, I saw this drawing on JO’s post. It reminded me of the young woman. But who is this character? M. recognized the character instantly as "Tank Girl." So, yeah, Tank Girl. The woman I saw was Tank Girl in the making. Not so rough around the corners, but soon.
Kamala Harris is Great at Answering Questions
@brynodc Empathy. Policy. This is absolute perfection. #harriswalz @Kamala HQ #election2024 #demsoftiktok ♬ original sound - Bryan
Another Morning of Bloody Mayhem
Who is that deftly winging through the treetop this morning? It’s the local hawk, looking forward to another morning of bloody mayhem. I can hear the doves cowering in their hiding places.
MAGA and the Home Rule Crisis
I believe in the value of looking to history for parallels to our current difficulties. The author of this article compares the challenges of MAGA to Britain's Home Rule Crisis more than a century ago:
Consider this scenario, unfolding in a country that views itself as the world’s leading democracy:
- A cynical but charismatic demagogue emerges as a disruptive force in politics — a person of wealth, privilege and fame who claims to represent a mass movement of ordinary people, but uses it for his own purposes.
- He leads a right-wing, ethnic nationalist paramilitary force with more than 100,000 members, which proclaims itself more loyal to the true spirit of the nation than the actual elected government, and threatens armed rebellion.
- The leader of the mainstream conservative opposition party pledges full support for the paramilitary movement’s campaign of resistance, up to and including civil war.
- Conspiracy theories rooted in a long history of ethnic and religious bigotry spread widely in support of the potential rebellion, including claims about the savage, superstitious and bloodthirsty behavior of previously disempowered groups now out for revenge.
- A leading government official is told to cancel all public appearances because the risk of violent assault or assassination is too high.
- Dozens of high-ranking military officers, in collusion with senior commanders and right-wing political leaders, stage an open mutiny, pledging to resign or be dismissed rather than obey the lawful orders of the elected government.
... Because everything on that list really did happen, just over 110 years ago in the United Kingdom, which despite its peculiar political history and lack of a written constitution was abundantly confident in its democratic credentials — and, not to drive the point home too hard, was given to lecturing other countries about the superior wisdom, tolerance and flexibility of its system.
Sunday, October 20, 2024
Things That Don't Seem To Work So Good
I seem to be a witness to things that don't seem to work so good.
One day last week, I opened the front door of my house to go out and get the mail, but I hesitated to open the screen door, because there was an argument going on between a couple on the sidewalk. A woman was towing a Radio-Flyer-style wagon loaded with belongings. Behind her, a man was sitting in a wheelchair, towed on a leash by a single Golden Retriever. They were likely homeless. The overall effect was of Mr. and Mrs. Claus as refugees. The woman was very tense. The man was shouting, in effect, that she wasn't very attractive. The appropriate response, of course, would have been to push him into traffic. Nevertheless, a couple of hours later, I saw them sitting quietly and working cooperatively together in the park.
On Friday, I saw a young man wearing a hoodie and walking down the sidewalk. The shell of the hoodie looked exactly like the front of a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Branded! A walking advertisement! I wonder what the rest of his wardrobe looks like?
I went to eat lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. I've been wondering how much of a shoestring operation it had become. It had opened with fanfare earlier this year, but then a couple of months ago the entire crew was replaced with a skeleton crew and the menu was dramatically shortened. Now you can't even get a printed menu. I suppose it's too expensive to produce. They just point at a QR code on the table. The only item on the new menu that I knew I liked was the "Rice Bowl," so that's what I ordered. They apologized and asked if vermicelli would do. They had run out of rice.
On Saturday, I approached a pizza takeout restaurant but I was momentarily blocked from entering. A homeless person was pushing a shopping cart in a circle in front of the door. The person started taking off their pants. They removed the right pants leg, but their other pants leg got hung up on their left sock and shoe. It would require additional attention to clear the left pants leg. Exasperated, the person just pushed the shopping cart down the sidewalk with their pants all bundled up on their left foot. Despite the fact the person was partially-naked i couldn't establish whether they were male or female.
Which reminds me of when my family first traveled to California and we kids, my sisters and I, first saw the Pacific Ocean, in 1970, at San Diego's Mission Beach. It was overcast and chilly but some people were entering the water. We watched a topless person enter the surf, but my sisters and I couldn't establish their sex. Some body shapes are just ambiguous. We wondered if it was a California thing. In the 90s one would say it was an "It's Pat!" moment.
Great Opening Night For RCTC's "Chicago" - October 18, 2024
Bows.
The Family Nachmanoff.
Marc and Larry Rycerz (Mary Sunshine, Jazz Cast) at the Truxel In-N-Out (Photo by Rachel Rycerz, who is volunteering on soundboard for a number of the shows)..
It's Halloween Time Again!
Neighbors are decorating all around!
Lowe's Home Improvement in Citrus Heights, CA, has the wrong idea right now.
Gunther's Ice Cream Parlor has the right idea!
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