My Dentist Has Better Fish Than Your Dentist

My dentist has the best fish.

Some Midtown Murals

Near where 16th and 17th Streets intersect J Street in Sacramento.

New Pickup Truck

And so, after some smog difficulties and auto repairs for various issues, I’ve now successfully registered my 1993 Ford Ranger with the State of California. I’m now back at status quo as of December 2nd, namely, I should be thinking about buying new tires in 2018.

Plus, I have also counted coup on my vanquished enemy, who no doubt must have his own auto difficulties to contend with, for which I have no sympathy, and only violins to recommend.

NBA Toronto Raptors Half Time Show 2017 - Jade's Hip Hop Academy/Giants of Africa

State Media

Oh, You Don’t Want To Go There!

Forbidden Words

A Memory from 1999

Moby, "Run On."

This Is How It's Done!

I remember the day my ballet instructor, George Zoritch, suddenly fell into uncharacteristic self-pity. He abruptly blamed Michel Fokine (one of the most choreographers of the 20th Century) for ruining his knees with Cossack-style kazachok (Russian kick) dancing. That distant hurt still lived!

Making Soup

I can tell these days when I’m under stress, because I feel an irresistible urge to make a vat of soup. So, a vat is on the stove now. I like how the soup mix instructions are really just guidelines, and you can add pretty much whatever you like to the mix.

Hell on Wheels

The Catholic Angle on "Lady Bird"

Interesting article:

Now you might say, “okay, a typical coming of age story.” Yet running underneath this complex story of love and conflict is religion, more precisely, Catholicism. Though not a Catholic herself, Lady Bird attends a Catholic high school, with quite a number of priests and nuns on the faculty. At regular intervals in the film, we see Lady Bird and her classmates attending Mass and other religious services—and none of this is presented mockingly or ironically, as we’ve come to expect from most Hollywood productions. When Lady Bird auditions for the school’s fall musical, she discovers that an older priest is one of the drama coaches. This figure is presented very sympathetically as a man who, earlier in life, had been married and had lost a son, and who now wrestles with depression. When he goes away for treatment, he is replaced by a younger priest, who had served up to that point as football coach and who, to the amusement of his students, brings a good deal of fifty-yard-line enthusiasm to his new task.

The Woodland Opera House shared three pictures featuring Greta Gerwig. Two of the pictures also feature you-know-who.

The Biggest Loser in the Alabama Election

Interesting viewpoint:

No matter the outcome of today’s special election in Alabama for a coveted US Senate seat, there is already one loser: Christian faith. When it comes to either matters of life and death or personal commitments of the human heart, no one will believe a word we say, perhaps for a generation. Christianity’s integrity is severely tarnished.

Loved this article too: "Analysis: Roy Moore sucks at riding a horse":

Roy Moore wants you to believe in his cowboy bonafides. So much so that he once waved a gun around during a speech while wearing that stupid cowboy hat of his. Moore is a fraud in every other way, so why wouldn’t that apply to his cowboy image? According to a growing calvary of Twitter horse-riding analysts, we may now have an answer.

This Tuesday, Moore arrived on horseback at his polling place in Gallant, Alabama to vote in the special Senate election where his opponent is Democratic candidate Doug Jones. According to Moore, he rides his horse “Sassy” to the polls in every election to “have good favor.”

“I think it’s a good thing to do,” Moore told CNN in September, when he rode Sassy to the polls in his runoff election against Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.). “I won the last time I rode a horse.”

But after video of him careening down a hill with Sassy caught the eyes of quite a few horse aficionados, the consensus was that Moore rides like someone who can barely hang on.

Omigod! The Victory Party!

So, Roy Moore refuses to concede. One of two things may be happening. Losing a political race is hard, really hard. People understand and indulge the loser, even if the claim to power is tenuous (1.5% margin is a pretty decisive margin, beyond reasonable contest). The second thing that might be happening is to start denying legitimacy altogether, which was the GOP’s strategy with Obama, showing a lack of faith in democracy. Either way:

The New Lara Croft Trailer

This trailer made me laugh at 0:37!

The Police Report On My Auto Accident Came Out

The police report on my auto accident came out. Here are two pages from the report.

I've made additions to the reconstruction diagram in order to show my idea as well as the California Highway Patrol's idea.

On the plus side, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) cop blamed unsafe speed for the accident. On the minus side, the cop's reconstruction of the accident doesn't match what I told him. By itself, that's probably a minor point. The cop was trying to reconstruct the spin of my car, and either his or my reconstruction works for that.

Nevertheless, there are some puzzles regarding the cop's reconstruction. That outer lane indicated in the drawing (E-5) is a new lane: The onbound lane onto the freeway from Harbor Blvd. and the exit lane for Jefferson Blvd. Mr. Jimenez stated I had been dogging the woman's truck, with unnecessary braking, for half a mile, then suddenly braked for no good reason, causing him to run into me. But, I doubt there is half a mile of E-5 lane between Harbor Blvd. and the accident site. If I was driving erratically, why didn't he try to go around me? And why was I in lane E-5 anyway? There was no reason for me to be there. As I told the cop at the scene, there was no offset. I was directly behind the woman's truck. And how did Mr. Jimenez obliterate the back of my car unless he had been traveling very fast? (I'm thinking 90 mph at a minimum, but it could have been 100 mph, 110 mph, or even faster.)

Part of the reason the cop may have been confused is that I told him I was in the right lane. I didn't mean the new right lane, E5, but the old right lane, E4. In the confusion, I didn't realize E5 was there. Even simple accidents can be chaotic.

I think Mr. Jimenez tried to move into the E-5 lane and go around me, but he was traveling so fast he couldn't manage it. Noteworthy too was the cop describes conditions as wet. I didn't think it was wet. Rain was just starting. Interpretations can vary on this point. There is no indication alcohol was involved in the accident.

A close reading makes it clear that Mr. Jimenez lied to the cop about my actions, his own speed, and his own actions, likely to avoid a citation and the blame. His insurance company, State Farm, has accepted liability, however. But no citation was issued. Maybe the cop figured Mr. Jimenez had had a bad enough day already, and maybe learned a lesson. But I'm still angry. Mr. Jimenez nearly-killed two people, cause thousands of dollars of damage, and lied about what he did.

The conclusion is inescapable: Raymond Emil Jimenez is a liar.

I was startled by the sudden appearance of the headlights closing so rapidly behind me. I don't think the vehicle had been there. I think the eastbound vehicle moved from the center lane (E3) into the right lane (E4). I was struck right of center, so vehicle may have been moving into the freeway's new right lane (E5; Harbor onbound; Jefferson exit), and would have succeeded if it had been going 80 mph, but couldn't execute at 90-100+ mph. My car's final freeway resting place was here (38.574937°, -121.539045°).

Maybe Buying a Pickup Truck

E.: Why do you want to buy that truck? It's so old!
M.: Even though it's a different year, it's the same make and model as the truck that hit me. It's very primal to own your enemy's possessions. It's like when the Indians of the Plains would "count coup" on their enemies. Or drinking your fallen enemy's blood to gain strength. I want to own everything he owns.
E.: That's a stupid reason to buy a truck.
M.: The logic is irresistible. I feel stronger already.
E.: He blopped us at $1,900, and we blopped him at $1,500.
M.: He blopped us?
E.: Yes!
M.: What's blopped?
E.: It comes from gambling.
M.: ????
E.: Bluffed.
M.: Oh! Yes, he blopped us at $1,900, and we blopped him at $1,500, and we'll meet somewhere in the middle.

"Let It Be" - Aretha Franklin

David Brooks Is Slowly Turning Against The GOP

It's an awful process, like watching the Titanic change direction just before colliding with the iceberg. David Brooks is still full of horseshit, but even he can see the writing on the wall:

"It would be a temporary vote for a Supreme Court Justice, for a tax cut but for a generation you are repulsive," said Brooks. "You are repulsive to younger people, twenty-eight percent of millennials think the Republican Party thinks about them. That's just a generational problem. You are repulsive to people of color forever. And so you end up, not only making yourself unpopular but to corrupting a piece of yourself. To me, the interesting people in this whole deal are the honorable Republicans in Congress. T,he Portman(s), the McCain(s), the Barrasso(s), Tim Scott. A couple of them have been very principled. But a lot of them have said, 'I am going to tolerate Trump's dishonesty. I am going to tolerate some racial politics.' But now they have to tolerate rape. Now they have to tolerate pedophilia. There is no end to what they are going to be asked to tolerate. And that is internally so corrosive."

Celebrating 30 Years at Step I Dance and Fitness

Awesome day! I'm usually on the Fitness side of things at Step One, but there is that whole other side of Step One Dance and Fitness that I rarely see, except on days like this. Thirty years! Happy Anniversary!

Alfredo Barreto, Mary Wright, Andres Barreto, and Pepper Von.

Jabbawockeez Class. Jabbawockeez are known for their precision hip hop. Jabbawockeez started here in this studio, at Step One, and they now have a Las Vegas act. I stayed for just the first half, because the precision was making my brain hurt.

Here are a series of videos highlighting the day. The last video, "For Bre" - Part 2 is absolutely-awesome. Look at that video first!


Toast and commemorative remarks by Mary Wright and Pepper Von




“Future Suits”




“Thieves”




"Monarchs"




Collaboration of three hip hop crews




“For Bre,” Part 1, Introduction by Kenna Wright and start of dance




“For Bre,” Part 2, Most of the dance. Emotional heart of the day.

"It's A Wonderful Life" - Woodland Opera House

Great show by Erik Catalan, Jori Gonzales, and the rest of the crew at Woodland Opera House!

I got emotional when George Bailey stood on the bridge at New Bedford Falls and pleaded "Please! I want to live again!" Because a week ago, out on Highway 50, I was thinking a similar thought!