Sierra Research Get-Together Party

Michael St. Denis hosted up in Roseville. Gabe McAuliffe drove. It was wonderful to see everyone again, and we all fell into intense conversation immediately, as if there had been barely any interruption this last decade. I took only a few pictures, including an effort to look at a Mallard's nest to the swimming pool:

Michael just sent some photos!:

Tell Your Dog I Said Hi

 

Talked to a Dietitian

Plastic food. Yum!

A Surprisingly-Social Weekend!

Lots was going on this weekend. It felt like pre-pandemic times were back. I like it!

A Heart Attack on Broadway

Today's strangeness was stumbling across an elderly woman apparently having a heart attack. Jasper and I were taking our morning walk. We came across her sitting awkwardly on the curb at Broadway and 25th. "Help me," she pleaded. She was weak, her breath was short, and she seemed to be in discomfort. I called 911, and kept her company. I couldn't tell if she was homeless or otherwise at loose ends. The 911 operator pressed for details, and even asked me to measure her pulse on her neck, but perhaps through error, I couldn't detect a pulse. 

The woman had a defeated air. "I called out for help but no one seemed to notice. No one from around here seems to care," she said. She explained she was originally from Dallas - maybe where people care more. "I'll get my brother to come out and take me home," she said. The paramedics arrived and took her away in an ambulance.

I Wonder How Accurate These Methane Surveys Are?

Cool if it works, but does it work?:

SANTA FE – A pollution survey using sensors on small airplanes to detect methane emissions across a major U.S. oil and natural gas production zone points to greater releases of the potent climate-warming gas than previously estimated by other methods, according to results published Wednesday. 

Underwritten by philanthropists and the fossil fuel industry, the study examined emissions from October 2018 through January 2020 across New Mexico’s portion of the Permian Basin, one of the world’s largest sources of oil and natural gas that extends into West Texas. 

The study estimated that methane emissions are equivalent to roughly 9% of the overall gas production in the surveyed area. That’s more than double the rate in several previous studies of the Permian Basin and national estimates by the U.S. government of natural gas lost to leaks and releases. 

“The bad news is that emissions in this time and this region were as high as they are,” said Evan Sherwin, co-author of the study and a research fellow at Stanford University’s department of energy resource engineering. “The good news is it was only about 1,000 sites out of 26,000 active wells. … It’s just a few percent that were emitting during this extensive study.” 

...Climate scientists have warned that without immediate and steep reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide and methane, the world will miss its chance to avert the most destructive and deadliest effects of climate change.

Josh Hawley Projects, and Projects Some More

Josh Hawley badgered Judge Jackson on sex-crime sentencing, but no one in Missouri has a weaker record on sex-crime prosecution than he does.

“One prosecution Hawley did handle as attorney general was a 2018 sexual abuse and domestic assault case against former Knox County Sheriff Robert Becker. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol's probable cause statement, Becker was charged with violent sexual encounters against his former partner, who alleged he "choked" her with a shirt in one instance.

“Instead of bringing the case to trial, Hawley agreed to a plea deal in which Becker served no jail time and instead received two years of probation and resigned his office.”

...“In November 2020 a judge ruled that Becker had failed to complete the mandatory sexual offender counseling required under the plea bargain and sentenced him to 20 days of "shock incarceration" — jail time intended to "shock" an offender into avoiding future crimes.” 

Hawley’s shortcomings on sex crimes were not confined to the ones detailed in the report. Soon after taking office in 2018, Hawley attempted to brush aside explosive allegations of sexual abuse by priests. He tried to pass the responsibility to local prosecutors saying he lacked jurisdiction, the Kansas City Star reported at the time.

Some Pictures of Rachel in Sutter Street Theatre's "Godspell" - Wednesday Rehearsal, March 23, 2022

Furry Friday

Before and after taking Jasper to Anthony Gonzales' dog-grooming salon (Fulton and Fair Oaks).

"Godspell" Premieres at Sutter Street Theatre, in Folsom

Jasper's Secret Place

Jasper can scan the entire yard from his secret place.

Aimed at Kids at Target

When I go to Target, I’m always surprised at toys and other items aimed at children these days. Inspired, and weird.

The Couch in the Alley

The landlord of the apartments next door (locally famous for having his picture placed on Safeway shopping-cart plastic flaps a few years ago) had a couch placed in the alley next to the DMV parking lot behind my house. Certain items, like couches, shouldn't be placed in the alley, because of the danger someone will use them rather than cart them away. But there it was. 

So, one of the local derelicts found the couch and sat down on it. This fellow is harmless, known mostly for walking the neighborhood while drinking a beer, and sobbing for hours. On Thanksgiving 2020, he climbed into a burlap sack, sat down, sobbed, and rolled around the empty DMV parking lot all day long. His beard is vaguely Muslim in style, and I wondered if he might be from overseas. 

This fellow was sitting asleep on the couch on Friday morning. Fourteen hours later, he was still asleep, in exactly the same position. 

OK, I wondered, did this fellow die? We are all our brother's keepers, after all, and no one should die alone. But is he asleep, or is he dead? I remembered years ago in Tucson finding a similarly-sleeping derelict. I called the cops and they responded by sending an ambulance with a screaming siren. Awkward if he was just sleeping. I never learned what happened there. And I didn't know about this guy. 

So, I went to bed. Next morning, the fellow was gone. So, apparently he was just sleeping. And I'll see him soon enough around the neighborhood.

Interesting Documentary on Chronic Drought in NM

From KOAT-TV.

Catastrophically Normal

The 0.27 inches of rain that fell at Sacramento Executive Airport on Tuesday ended a 69-day rainless streak, made insufferable by occurring during the climatically-rainiest part of the rainy season. This has been the weirdest, most-uneven rainy season EVER! If it wasn't for October 24, 2021, the rainiest day ever recorded in Sacramento's history (5.4 inches), this rainy season would be catastrophically-bad. As it stands, we now stand exactly normal - 100% of average - and done in the most disturbing, abnormal way conceivable.

Random Philosophical Street Encounter of the Day

I was stepping out of “Taste of Thai” restaurant on Broadway in Sacramento about noon when a street person collared me at door with a burning question. He was sweating profusely, as if he had just been laboring intensely. “Tell me,” he asked, “should a woman have access to money?” I said, “She should, but it’s a question of whether she can…” He stopped me abruptly. “That’s right,” he muttered, as he moved on down the sidewalk. “That’s right!”

My Favorite Scene From "Eraserhead"

Klepto Cat

Stoned For a Few Days

Thursday a week ago, my cardiologist decided to experiment on my heart's erratic rhythms.  How would I  tolerate a drug called Multaq (aka dronedarone)? At first, the drug seemed good - it slowed my heartbeat - but apparently it was slowing my heart rate into dangerous territory without yielding a healthy sinus rhythm. I got an EKG on Monday, and by Tuesday the doctors had ordered me to stop taking the drug. 

Still, for a few days, I seemed to have a new outlook on the world. I noticed that concrete seemed really hard; hard in an altogether new way. For the last decade, or so, concrete seemed almost fluffy - like tofu, or burnt marshmallow. The drug gave me a new insight on reality. 

Or so it seemed. Face it, I must have been stoned.

Dental Fan

My friend Gabe sometimes pokes fun at me for sticking with my dentist, Amy M. Woo, DDS. I started going to her in 1990, shortly after she started her dental practice in Sacramento (and not that long after she was named Miss San Francisco Chinatown 1986). Her practice was close to where I worked. In the years since, she has assembled a high-end dental practice, featuring only women dentists. I stick with her mostly out of inertia and a fuzzy kind of loyalty. She paid me the compliment of being the kind of patient they all like to see: "compliant." It is pricey, though. If cost was my only guide I would have left long ago. 

In 2018, I attended Sacramento's Turn Verein Oktoberfest, where I fell into conversation with a father, and his daughter, a biology student and sorority sister at UC Davis (and aspiring dentist). When I mentioned I go to Amy M. Woo, DDS, the daughter nodded in recognition. Dr. Woo's practice has become a beacon for young, aspiring female dentists in California. The student had carefully studied Dr. Woo's website, and asked about Dr. Kelly Brewer, whom I had just seen. "She is so smart! Did you see how young she was when she studied organic chemistry?" (Dr. Brewer had knocked off that memory-breaking college-level course while in high school). 

I was amazed that Dr. Brewer had a fan, and wanted to tell her the story, but it wasn't until today, four years later, that I was finally able to do so. Dr. Brewer was pleased. She said, "Dentistry is a wonderful career. I feel sad for the people who get into it only for the money, and realize later how miserable they are." 

I also learned something new. Dr. Brewer is an answer on California Dental Board exams. She was the youngest Registered Dental Assistant in California history, at age 13. (She had missed a written question on the test when she was 12, and had to have a do-over - probably good to get that certification when your hands are still so small.) 

So, I stick with Dr. Woo's dental practice. It's pricey, but it's also feel-good.

Representative Josh Harder is Watching Out For His Constituents Decimated by PG&E's Price Hikes

Whay aren't more representatives jumping on this?:

In a letter to California’s director of energy infrastructure safety, Harder said the decision is driving up electric bills, with January being the first time in the state’s history that customers paid an average of more than $200 a month.

The letter read, in part: 

"Your decision will also impact countless Central Valley families, including low-income households, who will see their utility bills go up by double digits. These families are being forced to choose between freezing in the winter months or barely affording their electric bills. It is inconceivable to imagine the board would make this decision at a time when our state is grappling with soaring inflation prices, driving up the costs of food and energy.

Bob Mackie's Barbie Collection

The costumer for the Carol Burnett Show loves Barbies.

Surprised The Sacramento Kings Have an Angle on This

WTF?:

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has yet to find the formula for success in the NBA, but maybe he will find his footing in the English Premier League. Ranadive reportedly wants to purchase Chelsea FC from Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch who announced last week he plans to sell the club. Sources told Sportico that Ranadive is "putting the final touches" on a bid for the London-based soccer team.

Sacramento's Pocket Area

LaToya's Crusade To Save Alpha Charter High School

I didn't realize how embroiled LaToya is in this. An important issue!:

ELVERTA, Calif. — Parents are fighting to save a small charter school in Sacramento County that is scheduled to close at the end of the school year because of low enrollment and a lack of funding.

...The district wrote in a statement to KCRA that, "it was the only responsible option they could take at this time given its declining and record low enrollment, which resulted in a significant and untenable financial strain on the school district."

The district projected a shortfall of $220,000 when considering how much it would cost to continue to operate the school versus how much funding enrollment would generate.

Alpha Charter High School has about 40 students and offers magnet programs for music, softball and baseball. 9LaToya Bufford's son, Lamont Jr., is a freshman at the school.

"We feel like it would be a huge loss if the school closes down because of the opportunities for him to learn and be guided from such great leaders," Bufford said.

Various Bits

Since I returned from New Mexico, the main focus has been on starting a new heart-rhythm drug: Multaq, or dronedarone. The drug may have more global effects: I've noticed I'm going to bed earlier, and that the world doesn't seem quite so surreal as usual. The world feels more concrete than ever. Evaluations are continuing. Tomorrow, they put a Holter monitor on me again, this time just for 24 hours, to see what the med-affected heart rhythm is doing. 

I've also upgraded my twenty-or-so "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" posts with more photos. I still need to upgrade posts on individual movies.

Casa San Ysidro: The Gutiérrez / Minge House in Corrales

We didn't get the full, complete tour, but close enough to satisfy. The Gutiérrez / Minge House is right next to San Ysidro Cemetery in Corrales, and I rode past it on the school bus on the Old Church Road washboard every single weekday from first through fifth grades! 

It's interesting how scarcity of metal drove Spanish/Mexican furniture construction.  A pressing consideration!

SOTU 2022

Exploring Frames: The Impact of Michel Foucault and Surrealist Artists on “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul”

Here is my presentation to the 43rd Annual Conference of the Southwest Popular/American Cultural Association, in Albuquerque, NM, on February 26, 2022.

 

Skater Dude

You see lots of descansos in New Mexico, but this one struck me: "Skater Dude." This is in Bernalillo, just east of the railroad (the black bar across the top of the photo is a rail). Skater Dude died young, and his memorial is well-maintained.

The House Where I Grew Up, In Corrales

Since 1990, all but unrecognizable.

Returned From New Mexico

 I've returned from Albuquerque, and will start processing photos, particularly for "Breaking Bad," "Better Call Saul," and various Albuquerque-based films.

Stuffed bear relaxes on a table in the ballroom at Ballut Abyad Shriner's Temple, February 22, 2022, Albuquerque, NM.

Running Around Town

 Taking photos, seeing a few friends, and meeting my sister's and nephew's dog.  Traveled yesterday to Los Lunas and Belen.

New Mexico Hiatus

It will be fun!

The airliner that took me from Las Vegas to Albuquerque, February 21, 2022.

Dog And Cat Sitting For Gabe and Eleanor This Weekend

Animals, they be fun! But hard work guiding unruly Molly and Blue on their walk!

Preparing For Trip to New Mexico

After two Covid years of no contact with Tierra Encantado, I want to check "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" filming locations, see how Albuquerque is doing, visit my sisters, see some old friends, and show Rachel the town (she's supposed to arrive Thursday). It will be fun (I'm hoping)! 

I will be attending the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association 43rd Annual Conference, February 23–26, 2022, Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I will be presenting at the session named Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul 1, Saturday 02/26/2022 - 1:15 pm - 2:45 pm, Room Enchantment A & B, Moderator: Nick Gerlich, West Texas A&M University.

The presentations will be:

"The Impact of Michel Foucault, Plus Various Surrealists, on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul," Marc Valdez, Independent Scholar;

"The Ruins of Home, Hearth, Kingdom, and Man in Breaking Bad: Ruins, Ruination and Ruin Porn in The ABQ," Michael Stock, Southern California Institute of Architecture; and,

"The Lives of Troubled Public Educators: A Breaking Bad Story," James Irby, Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Chris May Have Suffered a Stroke

Erlynda's Chris began stumbling around Thursday evening after dinner. Diagnosis isn't complete yet, but a small stroke seems most likely as explanation. He's using a walker now. I'll try to help out at the margins, if I can.

Covid Means Heart Problems

Avoid getting Covid at any cost:

What Al-Aly and his colleagues found was even a mild COVID-19 infection increased a person's risk of having cardiovascular problems — including heart rhythm irregularities, potentially deadly clots in the legs and lungs, heart failure, heart attack and stroke, within a year after being infected. 

"That means it's likely that for every 100 people with COVID, there are four people who will develop some major cardiovascular event as a result of COVID up to a year out of the infection," Al-Aly said. "People say 'oh 4 percent, what's the big deal?' Well, many millions of people in the US have had COVID and that translates into many people in the U.S. who are either having or will have serious heart problems, and I think that's really that's really profound."

Still Shaky On The Cardiac Front

I've been worried about my cardiac health lately, especially after getting a cardioversion for my racing heart at the Sutter Hospital ER on Sunday morning, 1/30. Since then, I've noticed a slight feeling of impairment - almost as if I've had a beer. Every so often, I notice a slight dizziness, and a slight shortness of breath too. On Monday afternoon, 2/14, about 3:15 p.m., I noticed that my heart was racing again. My heartbeat was between 120 and 140 bpm - high, but not quite as high as the 155-158 bpm on 1/30. Still, nearly as high as a heart should beat safely. So, I administered myself half of a metoprolol tablet (which is designed to slow down heartbeat). After ten minutes passed, and no change occurred, I took the other half of the tablet. And the heartbeat finally did slow down (something that didn't happen when I did the same thing on 1/30). So, I wasn't quite so far gone. By 4 p.m., all was well. The cardiologist is apparently prescribing a different, faster-acting version of metoprolol, in the event this continues happening. Tomorrow, I'm going to go in to the cardiologists's office for an echocardiogram of the heart and to put on a Holter monitor for 48 hours worth of heart monitoring. Then, the current plan is, I'm traveling to New Mexico for the following week. The week after that, the cardiologist will check on the monitor's results and design a longer-term program of care. Whether that involves better drugs, a pacemaker, or ablation surgery, I'll find out soon enough.

Redistricting and Gerrymandering

It looks like the Democrats did all right against the Republicans, with all the recent redistricting and gerrymandering. It's a pretty ugly business, stripping elections of competition and meaning, but since the GOP did not want to cooperate with creating a better system, that's what we get:

Democrats have fared better for a number of reasons. Victories in competitive 2018 gubernatorial races gave Democrats veto pens in some states, such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where Republicans control the legislature. Democrats also began laying the groundwork for the redistricting fight years in advance with the formation of groups like the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, launched by former Attorney General Eric Holder with the support of former President Barack Obama. In GOP-controlled states such as Texas and Georgia, Republicans have pursued a more defensive mapmaking strategy, seeking to consolidate their power rather than attempting a maximalist (but riskier) approach of knocking out Democratic seats. State courts have struck down more aggressive GOP gerrymanders in North Carolina and Ohio. A major factor, however, is that despite their anti-gerrymandering rhetoric, Democrats have been at least as ruthless as Republicans in the biggest states where they have unfettered power to draw new districts. In Illinois, Democrats approved a map that will likely wipe out two of the GOP’s five current congressional seats. Their haul could be twice as big in New York.

Mazars Dumps Trump

It's getting harder and harder to run the world like a Mob Boss! Trump's longtime accounting firm, Mazars, is now backing away completely from all the work they did for Trump for the entire previous decade. You can't be a modern Mob Boss without the accountants on your side. The real beginning of the end:

"We have a great company with fantastic assets that are unique, extremely valuable and, in many cases, far more valuable than what was listed in our Financial Statements," Trump said. "My company has among the best real estate and other assets anywhere in the world, has significant amounts of cash, and has relatively very little debt, which is totally current."

"The accounting firm Mazars has been threatened, harassed, and insulted like virtually no other firm has ever been," he added. "They were essentially forced to resign from a great long-term account by the prosecutorial misconduct of a highly political, but failed, gubernatorial candidate, Letitia James, and the Hillary Clinton run District Attorney's Office of Manhattan, where crime has reached levels not even thought possible ..." 

"Mazars (sic) decision to withdraw was clearly a result of the AG's and DA's vicious intimidation tactics used — also on other members of the Trump Organization," Trump said. "Mazars, who were scared beyond belief, in conversations with us made it clear that they were willing to do or say anything to stop the constant threat which has gone against them for years. They were 'broken' and just wanted it all to stop. ... "

"Scantily-Clad Dancers"

I missed seeing the Superbowl halftime show, and I wasn't surprised to hear that many people didn't like it. From the press, I understood that "scantily-clad dancers" were a primary negative focus. So, I just watched the halftime show on YouTube, and what impressed me most was how well-clad the dancers were. Form-fitting comfortable clothing, to be sure, but not scanty by any stretch. Has anyone ever watched previous Superbowl halftime shows? Methinks there were other issues at work here.

 

Is Grant Getting Bigger and Bolder? - February 9, 2022

Big hullabaloo in the neighborhood tonight (Feb. 9th). Someone climbed up a power pole, then climbed down onto a roof and set a small fire. Power is out all over (although I still have service). 21st St. is closed just south of Broadway. Cops say “It’s always the same guy,” which makes me worry that it’s local homeless guy Grant, because he’s done similar stuff in the past. So, hopefully no one gets hurt.

And in the morning, all was well.  As if nothing ever happened.

Constraints and Contracts

I like this article by Will Butler, who is in Arcade Fire, about Joe Rogan, Neil Young, and Spotify. I support Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and the rest:

When Neil Young said he’d take his music off Spotify if it kept streaming the podcaster Joe Rogan, I doubted he was trying to deplatform Rogan. I assumed he was just telling the company, “I don’t need this. I’m out of here.” I support Young’s stance. He has the moral right to get off Spotify, the largest music-streaming service, to protest Rogan’s comments about COVID-19 vaccines. But, notably, Young himself did not in fact have the legal right to leave. He’d signed away those rights to his label, which is part of Warner Music Group, and he had to ask Warner to let him leave Spotify as a personal favor. The rights of speech and association are, as always, constrained by contracts and commerce—in the arts as much as in the tech world.