12 December 2009

I'm the leader of society since I got mine.

So, it turns out that faux populist Glenn Beck is really just a war profiteer. Nice.

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All his schtick about the downfall of America isn't actually based on personal philosophies or political views or even racist tendencies, it's all just good old fashioned market manipulation. He's fomenting civil unrest because that leads to economic uncertainty which leads to investment in precious goods, specifically gold, and he's the paid spokesman for a gold trader.

Well, it's great to know that undermining the foundations of this nation is an acceptable way for commentators on Fox News to make a profit. And if it's OK for the employees to do that, I wonder if the network itself has any qualms about the practice.



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"I'm the leader of society since I got mine."Lyrics from the blues standard I Got Mine performed by Ry Cooder (among many others)Ry Cooder - The Ry Cooder Anthology: The UFO Has Landed - I Got Mine

06 December 2009

Roll On Down the Highway

People, when you're stopped at a light, your primary obligation is to be prepared to move as soon as the light is in your favor. A red light is not the time to check your messages, text a friend, apply more makeup, or tuck into a breakfast burrito.

I'm unbelievably tired of seeing the light turn green then waiting for half a minute before being able to proceed forward.

Green=go.


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Roll On Down the HighwaySong by Bachman-Turner OverdriveBachman-Turner Overdrive - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Roll On Down the Highway

01 September 2009

Let's go, we're in the money; look up, the skies are sunny; Old Man Depression; you are through, you done us wrong!

After months of cataloging all my song references, months of tweeting with embedded affiliate links, and months of running a banner ad, I finally see the fruits of my labor: I got my first check as an iTunes Affiliate…a whopping $5.74.

Now I just need to add some Amway on the side and I'll be ready to retire...in about 300 years.

So, if I want to shorten that timeframe a bit, then y'all need to be ordering more stuff! (Or not. You're really under no obligation to do so.)


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"Let's go, we're in the money; look up, the skies are sunny; Old Man Depression; you are through, you done us wrong!"Lyrics from the song We're in the Money by Al Dubin (lyrics) and Harry Warren (music), featured in the movie Gold Diggers of 1933 and the musical 42nd StreetGinger Rogers - Hollywood's Best: The 30s - We're In the Money (The Gold Diggers Song) [From "Gold Diggers of 1933"]

30 August 2009

How terribly strange to be seventy.

Yesterday I was walking Jake along Beach Street, which goes right by the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. We passed a gentleman who remarked "now there's an old friend" as he looked at Jake.

Sure, Jake's getting a lot of grey these days. He's just turned ten, which is purportedly 70 in human years, and he's looking a bit, well, distinguished. And while I don't want to focus on him getting old, I certainly appreciate the idea that he's an old friend. He's been through much with me: a couple of roommates, a couple of cross-country trips, nine band reviews, one bike race, numerous vet visits, and more than a thousand walks.

I'd like to think Jake's anonymous commenter was remarking on the long and rewarding life Jake's had, and not just his grey fur. While he can still be a challenge, there's not a day with Jake I don't treasure.


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"How terribly strange to be seventy."Lyric from the song Old Friends by Simon and GarfunkelSimon & Garfunkel - The Best of Simon & Garfunkel - Old Friends

25 August 2009

Here I stand and I'm waiting.

Today was Jake's tenth birthday! We celebrated by going to dinner at Café Limelight here in Downtown Santa Cruz, as we've done for many of his prior birthdays. For a dog, Jake's eaten at restaurants a lot. I'd reckon he goes out to eat at least five times a year, so he's had at least 50 dining-out experiences.

Yet for all that, he's still not comfortable just waiting to be served. Rather, he knows there's food about so he spends the entire time intently focused on when and how a meal will appear.

Dining out with a dog means eating on patios. I've yet to find an establishment that allows dogs inside; you're always out on the patio or deck, away from other patrons. The best places, like Café Limelight, bring you water in a dog bowl, and have options on the menu just for the pets. Limelight, for instance, has a plate of sliced roast turkey just for dogs. (It helps that the couple who own Limelight are pet guardians themselves.)

Anyone who's dined out knows there's a routine to table service. First there's the seating, greeting, and menu presentation. This is followed by the water service, then the drink order. When the drinks arrive you order the starters or the main courses. Between ordering and food service, there are usually a couple of table visits to refill the water or refresh any complimentary items like bread or chips.

Well, from the moment we sit down at a table, Jake locks onto whomever approaches, convinced they have a bowl or plate full of food for him. At Café Limelight, the tables on the patio face the door, so Jake spends all him time there staring at the main door, waiting for someone, anyone, to bring him food. Every person who comes through that door is, quite literally, a potential meal ticket, and Jake eyes them like they're the last of the good leads in Glengarry Glen Ross. When the long-awaited plate of turkey arrives, it's devoured in under a minute, with more time spent looking for wayward scraps around the plate than was taken eating the actual payload.

Even the check is a source of confusion, with Jake eyeing it as if it were another course. The clearing of the table, though, just like at home signals the end of the meal. As the dishes are removed, Jake finally relaxes a bit, patrolling under the table to find any dropped bits then, at last, coming to rest by his backpack in preparation for the walk home.


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"Here I stand and I'm waiting."Lyric from the song Waiting by Chris IssacChris Isaak - Best of Chris Isaak (Remastered) - Waiting (Acoustic Version)

23 August 2009

Toast on the Coast

Two decades ago I worked in Century City, a rather highbrow section of Los Angeles. Specifically, I worked in the Century Plaza Towers, two triangular skyscrapers that were, at the time, the focal point of Century City, and all the entertainment and investment firms based there.

One could imagine there were a number of upscale restaurants around the Plaza Towers, and often my colleagues would organize a luncheon outing. Twenty years ago being a vegetarian wasn't anywhere near as common as it is now, even in Los Angeles. So I was quite the challenge to include in the daily forage. (Imagine if I'd been vegan back then!)

We'd go to restaurants that featured "healthy fare" like the club sandwich (a double-decker construction with both pig and turkey) or avocado halves stuffed with tuna salad, and I'd still be reduced to begging for a grilled cheese sandwich with fries.

I hadn't thought about those days in a very long time, but as I look at the meals I made today, I'm reminded of that time.

For lunch today, I was considering what to do with the heirloom tomatoes ripening in my garden, along with the various sandwich fixings I had. So I decided to make a truly healthy club. I used Smart Bacon and Hickory Smoked Tofurky Deli Slices for the protein component, and layered those along with my homegrown tomatoes and organic red-leaf lettuce onto three slices of toasted 12-grain bread dressed with Vegenaise. Along with the sandwich, I enjoyed several of my heirloom cherry tomatoes with a dressing of salt, pepper, and some olive oil.

A successful club sandwich is determined by the assembly: toast, spread, lettuce, tomato, bacon, turkey, toast, spread, lettuce, tomato, bacon, turkey, then finish with lettuce, spread, and toast.

For dinner, I made faux tuna salad (recipe below) and served that in avocado halves. The "tuna" salad is made with mashed garbanzo beans, and gets its "ocean" taste from large helpings of nori flake. Onion, celery, and Vegenaise reinforce the resemblance to the original dish.

I got the recipe from the fine folks at VegNews magazine, who included it in one of their monthly newsletters.

30 ounces (two cans) garbanzo beans, drained
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
½ cup celery, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon garlic, minced
¼ cup dill pickle, finely chopped
2 tablespoons nori flakes
1 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans, then mash them in a bowl. Then fold in all the other ingredients.

Yes it's a simple recipe, and to make it even simpler I have the following recommendations:
  • Use a potato masher to smash the beans.
  • Use minced garlic from a jar. (For this dish you'll never be able to tell.)
  • Use dill pickle relish instead of chopping pickles.
Unlike other recipes where I automatically reduce the amount of salt, for this one use the full measure, if not a pinch more. And I add a teaspoon or so of canola oil to the beans; it makes them easier to mash and better mimics the moistness of tuna.

The best part of these strolls down culinary memory lane? The vegan versions are healthier, more humane, and eminently satisfying.



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Toast on the CoastSong by The ToastersToasters, The - Skaboom! - Toast On the Coast

30 July 2009

They Can't Take That Away from Me

Even as a child I was a voracious reader, in fact some of my earliest memories are of reading books. This deep and prolonged exposure to the written word, to literature, has given me an almost innate sense of grammar. (Though anyone who's read Chomsky's non-political oeuvre is aware there's a school of thought that says grammar by its very existance is innate.)

And so while I may not know how to concisely define either the subjunctive or the indicative, or be able to clearly state how one conjugates the pluperfect, or even confidently delineate why one hyphenates a compound adjectival phrase but not an adverbial one, by virtue of being well read it seems I can craft a passably grammatical sentence.

Yet like many people, I've been frustrated by the seeming lack of a grammatically acceptable, universally inclusive pronoun that can represent a whole comprised of one or both genders, and one person or multiple people. Specifically I've been frustrated that the pronoun "they" seemed to fit the bill, but was formally defined as being plural and thus not appropriate for the task.

Therefore I was quite delighted to see John Gruber at Daring Fireball post a link to the On Language column in The New York Times Magazine which not only defended "they" as both singular and plural, but stated that there was a historical precedent for using "they" to represent nouns both one and many, both masculine and feminine.

This will surprise a few purists, but for centuries the universal pronoun was they. Writers as far back as Chaucer used it for singular and plural, masculine and feminine. Nobody seemed to mind that they, them and their were officially plural. As Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage explains, writers were comfortable using they with an indefinite pronoun like everybody because it suggested a sexless plural."


Since Chaucer‽ Since the late 1300's‽ Then why was my high-school English teacher (metaphorically) rapping my knuckles for "misusing" plural pronouns in the 1980's‽ (No worries, I've constrained all my interrobangs to this paragraph.)

Using "they" in this pluripotent way has always felt right to me, almost instinctually. Now we have proper grammarians providing a historical framework for this usage, and encouraging the Twitterati to keep pushing this now-common use until it becomes standard once again. Bless them.


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They Can't Take That Away from MeSong written by George and Ira Gershwin, performed by Billie Holiday (among many, many others)Billie Holiday - The Complete Billie Holiday - They Can't Take That Away from Me

29 July 2009

C'est si bon

Earlier today, Ana Marie Cox re-tweeted from Maud Newton a link to a video of bartender Del Pedro making Gin Gimlets, inspired by a passage in the Raymond Chandler classic, The Long Goodbye.

The recipe is simple:

2 oz. Gin
¾ oz. fresh lime juice
¼ oz. Rose's Lime Juice

Shake ingredients with ice, strain into glass.

Oddly enough, I had all the necessary ingredients. So I thought it might be interesting to try this recipe, and perhaps even video myself making it.

But since Jake doesn't have opposable thumbs, it's up to me to hold the iPhone and make the drink. Hmmm. Not sure how well this will work, especially since I have to do it in one take, and I've had a couple of practice rounds already...



Well, there you go. Just shake the lime juice, the Rose's, and the gin, then strain. Delicious.


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C'est si bonSong by Henri Betti, with French lyrics by André Hornez and English lyrics by Jerry Seelen; performed by Louis ArmstrongC'est si bon—Louis Armstrong

Simmer Down

It feels like everything is moving much too fast these days. Either I've become the world's most stereotypical grouchy old man, or life is moving at an unacceptably fast clip. For example, the July 4th holiday weekend was less than a month ago, yet it feels like three months ago. I do not like this feeling.


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Simmer DownSong by Bob Marley and The WailersBob Marley & The Wailers - The Birth of a Legend - Simmer Down

21 July 2009

It Keeps You Runnin'

This month marks the fourth year that I've been blogging. Interesting.

If anyone out there is following along, even periodically, I hope they're enjoying themselves. I know I am.


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It Keeps You Runnin'Song by The Doobie BrothersThe Doobie Brothers - The Very Best of The Doobie Brothers - It Keeps You Runnin'

05 July 2009

Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears!

The morning of the Fourth of July, I attached a steel flagpole bracket to the front porch of my house, so I could fly the American flag proudly on our Day of Independence.

Afterward, I looked up and down my block, but mine was the only flag I could see. I knew that two blocks down in front of Fire Station #1 there was a flag flying, and two block in the other direction there'd be a flag in front of the Louden Nelson Community Center, but mine appeared to be the only American flag on a residence that I could see.

Perhaps my neighbors didn't have flags. After all, it's been eight years since most anyone around here has had any faith, let alone pride, in their government. Or perhaps they couldn't fly a flag, as many of them are renters and don't have the right to attach a flag to their house or apartment.

No matter. My personal admiration for the Obama administration was enough to inspire me to proudly raise the Stars and Stripes, and there could not have been a more beautiful day to do so. The sky was clear and blue and the temperature was mild; a perfect day to sit on the porch with Jake and offer a hearty greeting to the passersby.

Addendum: after reading this post my friend Gregory chided me, saying I should "fly the flag regardless of whether or not you support the particular Commander In Chief currently in place. I think it's particularly important to remain patriotic during the troubling times in America while we work to make it better." And he's right.

In my haste to finish a blog post, I used the Obama administration as a shorthand to represent the social and political awakening taking place in the United States during the past couple of years. It was a lazy characterization, but worse it left the wrong impression. I raised my flag on the Fourth of July not because I support only this specific CINC, but because I am so proud that people across this nation are electing responsible representatives and demanding accountability from officials, and I believe the current administration is encouraging and supporting this resurgence of citizenship.

In the most literal sense, a flag represents a country; a marker used at multinational gatherings. But when you, an individual, raise a flag it's no longer a simple marker, it's a proxy for your own patriotism. It becomes imbued with your beliefs about citizenship, governance, rights, and responsibilities. And if the country doesn't currently match your beliefs, flying the flag is an inspiration to you to work for the greater good. (This is also why many people find it so offensive to see the Confederate flag flown, as they don't want to believe there are people in the US currently striving to divide the Union and enslave parts of the population.)

Therefore, I should have been as eager to raise my flag last year or the year before as I was this year. It should have been as natural as studying position papers, donating to progressive candidates, canvassing loved ones, or any of the other things I've been doing to help America reach her potential.


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"Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears!"Lyrics from America the Beautiful — words by Katherine Lee Bates, melody by Samuel Ward, covered by Mannheim Steamroller (and countless others)Mannheim Steamroller & C.W. McCall - American Spirit - America the Beautiful

03 July 2009

Miles and miles left to go, miles from anything we know.

Yeah, mid-afternoon on the first day of a three-day weekend is not a good time to drive to Santa Cruz.

Took a look at the map while eating lunch, and the traffic on southbound 17 is backed up all the way 'till it ends at the 280! And once you plod your way through the mountains, it gets really bad again in Scotts Valley, all the way into Santa Cruz. Yuck.

Glad I'm already here, and won't be moving the car all weekend.

What's interesting is that the traffic doesn't continue southbound on 1 to go deeper into the county. I guess everyone's headed specifically to Santa Cruz, probably to catch The Smithereens at their free concert at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk tonight.


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"Miles and miles left to go, miles from anything we know."Lyrics from the song Miles from Nowhere by The SmithereensThe Smithereens - From Jersey It Came! - The Smithereens Anthology - Miles from Nowhere

21 June 2009

Ride Captain Ride

Ku and I saw Star Trek tonight; I would have thought we were the last ones in the country to do so, but the packed theater told me otherwise. (On a side note: Santa Cruz moviegoers, please put down the bong and get your butts in gear, so you can get to the theater before the feature starts and not ruin the first ten minutes of the movie by walking in front of me.)

I thought the movie was fantastic. Ku wasn't as impressed. But what surprised me the most was seeing my Alma Mater represented as Starfleet Academy. It's true! The Oviatt Library at California State University, Northridge, perhaps the most distinctive building on the entire campus, was used in the film as the exterior shot of a large auditorium at Starfleet Academy.


As shown in the composite above, the top image is the Oviatt Library as it exists today and the bottom image is the building portrayed in Star Trek, after three more stories were added to the top, a couple of wings on the sides, and it was relocated to San Francisco (apparently to somewhere around the Presidio/Marina district).

The soaring pillars of the Oviatt have always looked majestic, but never before have I thought they would represent the heights of 24th Century architecture. Granted they are so distinctive that back in the early 90s they were the graphic focal point of the university logo, a decision that was controversial at the time.

Anyway, seeing as how I'm a Starfleet Academy graduate, I've been wondering what my rank would be. It's been quite a while since I matriculated, so perhaps I'd have made captain by now. Though most likely not.

But with all respect to someone who's actually had to earn rank, I'd say I'd be proud and honored (and lucky) to be in the company of lieutenants — the backbone and core of the officer ranks. Hooyah!

(Credits to acejr371 via Flickr for the photo of Oviatt Library, to Paramount Studios for the bottom still from the movie, and to Tim Malabuyo for the composition image.)


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Ride Captain RideSong by Blues ImageBlues Image - Open - Ride Captain Ride (Single/LP Version)

19 June 2009

Juke Box Hero

Since 2006 I've been titling posts with either lyrics from a song or an actual song title. I thought it'd be nice to document these choices; I'll keep this entry updated with info from new posts going forward.

Update: Starting with posts in 2010, I'm now listing the song reference at the bottom of the post, instead of updating a huge table. I've gone back and appended song reference information to all the earlier posts as well.

(Full disclosure: the iTunes buttons at the bottom of each post are encoded with my affiliate ID, so I get a cut if you buy anything.)

Overall I'm pleased with the range and diversity represented, but I'm a bit surprised at how much Zeppelin is listed. Guess I'm a child of the 70s after all.


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Juke Box HeroSong by ForeignerForeigner - 4 (Expanded) - Juke Box Hero (Single Version)

18 June 2009

We Didn't Start the Fire

On 16 June 2009, the United States Global Change Research Program released a comprehensive report entitled Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States. The USGCRP integrates input from 13 different federal government departments and agencies in an effort to help the US cope with global climate change.

I downloaded the full PDF copy and was looking it over when I was struck by a particular graphic.
On page 90 of the report is an illustration of temperature increase across the continental US, specifically projected increases in the number of days in which the temperature will exceed 100°F. Naturally the chromatic scale for the graphic runs in the so-called warmer colors, with a deep red representing the hottest temperatures. Looking at the worst scenario as a whole, therefore, gives the distinct impression of the country descending into a fire, with tongues of flame licking right up Texas, Arizona, and California's Central Valley.

Other than climate, what do those areas have in common? That's right, as America grapples with the equality of treatment for all her citizens, these areas seem to be, time and again, focal points for the narrow-minded and intolerant people who fight against marriage equality, employment equality, civil rights recognition, and who even threaten to secede.

Time and time again when efforts are made to treat all citizens equally, these areas lead the charge that fairness and respect for all will lead directly to Armageddon. Sure enough, look at the map: the flames of Hell are headed right toward them.

But the cause isn't gay marriage, it's their own damned SUVs.


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We Didn't Start the FireSong by Billy JoelBilly Joel - The Essential Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire

15 June 2009

Driving in My Car

(Tip o'the hat to Daring Fireball)

Now this is a proper product review...

Top Gear ‘Throughly Tests’ a Ford Fiesta

That is all.


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Driving in My CarSong by Madness

06 May 2009

Making Plans for Nigel

On personal matters, it can take me a while to formulate plans of action. I need goals, however I'm not a goal-driven person. I'm more a goal-meandering person. I need an idea of where to go, then a plan, then a revised plan, and then I can start heading in the right direction.

Right now, I'm in the doldrums because I've achieved, for the most part, the last set of goals I'd set three years ago, but I don't have a new group to replace them. (That post is so old, it pre-dates the all-posts-are-titled-with-song-names-or-lyrics scheme I've been following for a while now. That post title is actually a ST:TNG quote.)

I still feel my employment requires exchanging parts of my soul for a paycheck. But in the three years since my previous post I've completely remodeled my house, made small steps toward regular exercise, and have spent plenty of time with Ku.

But I can tell that it's time to create more specific plans, and actually begin working toward them. And perhaps these plans will have some greater purpose to life incorporated therein. One can only hope. Or plan. Or something.


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Making Plans for NigelSong by XTCXTC - The Compact XTC - Making Plans for Nigel

16 April 2009

Babe I'm Gonna Leave You

In the darkest days of the Bush II regime, I investigated the possibility of California seceding from the United States. I found organizations like Free the Bear that posit our state — the seventh largest economy in the world — would be able to leave the Union of the United States of America and survive as an independent republic. But these groups never accurately characterize the likely response of a modern USA should a state try to secede and strike out on her own.

Eventually I came to realize that a large part of California's strength was her place in the Union.

Now it seems Conservatives are learning these same lessons. The folks in Texas have started to imply that secession is a topic of conversation. And as much as I'd be delighted to see them leave, perhaps they might want to review this analysis from the editors of Foreign Policy of what would happen should they try to dissolve the bonds of our Union. It's not a pretty picture:
In short: the state of Texas would rapidly become direly impoverished, would need to be heavily armed, and would be wracked with existential domestic and foreign policy threats. It would probably make our failed states list in short order."


Update: On the other hand, Ezra Klein ponders how the US would benefit from being Texas-less:
After Texas Governor Rick Perry fired up a Tea Party audience by musing about secession as a response to federal tax rates, I spent most of the day idly considering what it would look like for America if Texas seceded from the union. More trains! Universal health care! An end to an important hybrid food culture!"


Update 2: And Nate Silver takes a look at how Texas secession would help Democrats:
  • If Texas were not in the Union, the Democrats would currently have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate — or at least they would once Al Franken gets seated. This is because, in a 98-seat Senate, only 59 votes would be required to break a filibuster.

  • If Texas were not in the Union, the Republicans would operate from a significantly weakened position in the House, since the net 8-vote advantage their congressional delegation gives them in the state (they have 20 seats to the Democrats' 12) is by far their largest."



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Babe I'm Gonna Leave YouSong by Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin - Mothership (Remastered) - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You

(Nothing but) Flowers

As Spring continues to unfold, the native plants and wildflowers in the front yard have begun to burst forth in bloom. The California Poppies have spread throughout the yard and are blooming profusely, their golden orange color a nice counterpart to the purples, reds, and blues of the other plants.

And today appeared the first bloom on the Wind Poppy plant, a rare California native cultivated by the fine folks at Annie's Annuals, which I have in a pot on the porch.

This poppy also has a golden orange color but the blooms are wide open, in contrast to the tighter flowers of a California Poppy, and the petals have undulations that look at once both heirloom and modern. It's like a cousin to our state flower — similar enough to evoke a familial resemblance but different enough to stand out.

The front yard is a sheer delight this Spring; whenever I'm sitting on the porch passersby comment on how much they enjoy the tapestry of colors and textures. I owe it all to Leslie Jaquith of Deva Gardens in Santa Cruz. It's amazing how well she took my disjointed thoughts about the yards and translated them into exactly what I wanted.


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(Nothing but) FlowersSong by Talking HeadsTalking Heads - The Best of Talking Heads - (Nothing But) Flowers

29 March 2009

Mystery Achievement

Yesterday I thought I'd have one bloom today, but two proud orange flowers greeted me this morning! Spurned on, perhaps, by its neighbor, a second California Poppy plant burst forth with a colorful Springtime flower, marking a bright advent to the season.

To further celebrate Spring, I planted some other native poppy varieties in the pots on the porch, and a dozen different heirloom tomato plants in the backyard beds. Look for more photos as they grow and bloom.


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Mystery AchievementSong by PretendersPretenders - Pretenders (Remastered) - Mystery Achievement

28 March 2009

Rite of Spring

The first California poppy bloom of the season began to unfurl today!

I'd noticed that the poppies were especially prolific this year, inhabiting the whole front yard, but wasn't sure how many of the new plants would actually flower. Well, one's taken up the challenge, at least. It's got one bloom unfurling now with at least two more to follow. And the plant behind it looks like it's not far behind.

What's more, just about every other flowering plant in the garden is beginning to bloom. Looks to be a colorful Spring!


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Rite of SpringBallet by Igor StravinskyLeonard Bernstein & London Symphony Orchestra - Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, Suite from "The Firebird" (Expanded Edition)

02 March 2009

Running in Fear from Imaginary Assailants

Ezra Klein at The American Prospect made a fantastic observation today regarding the Dow Jones Industrial Average:
Anyone else noticed that the Dow Jones Average now serves the same purpose on cable news shows that the terrorism alert level served between 2001 and 2004?"

I really wish the mass media could do a better job of framing economic (or political) issues instead of falling back on simple, athletically inspired metrics like "up" or "down," "ahead" or "behind."


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Running in Fear from Imaginary AssailantsSong by Charlie Hunter TrioCharlie Hunter Trio - Friends Seen and Unseen - Running In Fear from Imaginary Assailants

27 February 2009

Pa Konane

Recently while fiddling with my iPhone I discovered a cool feature: region formats.

Sure, the iPhone supports dozens of languages, and if you set a language then the whole iPhone OS as well as any localized third-party apps will display in the specified language. But if you're not fluent in that language, you'll be lost on your own phone.

Region formats are different; they specify the preferred format for day, date, time, and phone numbers based on a specific region. But what's cool is that format isn't just the order of month and day or the use of dashes or brackets in a number, but the language of the days and months as well.

Even cooler, there's a region format for Hawai'i that uses the Hawaiian terms for the days (actually nights) of the week and the months of the year. Selecting that region format means that all the iPhone applications — even third-party ones that are correctly engineered — display dates in Hawaiian! In Weather, in Calendar, in Mail, in Stocks — everywhere there's a date, it's in Hawaiian.

Setting the iPhone couldn't be easier: tap Settings, tap General, scroll down and tap International, then tap Region Format. There are many regions listed, with some grouped under a language, such as Spanish, spoken in many different regions.

Not knowing Hawaiian myself, this has given me an opportunity to learn some interesting things about the language. For instance, as shown in the image above, all the days of the week start with pō except one: Lā pule, or Sunday. I guessed that Lā pule might mean "holy day" and some research revealed I was close. It actually means "prayer day" and reflects the influence Christian missionaries had on the islands.

But if lā means day then why do all the other names start with pō? Well, as I learned at UniLang, the Hawaiians traditionally started the 24-hour cycle at night, much the way we actually start a day at Midnight, and pō means night. The second part of the word specifies numerical order, first through sixth. So Monday is Pō'akahi or first night. Tuesday is Pō'alua or second night and on down the line to Saturday, Pō'aono. (Makes far more sense than a mix of celestial objects and Norse, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon gods, like in English.)

The iPhone OS even nails the little details: in Calendar on month view, Pō'akahi through Pō'aono are abbreviated P1 to P6, just as their names denote.

As for the post title, "Pa Konane" is a traditional Hawaiian song about the "bright touch" of the Moon.


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Pa KonaneFolk song performed by Manualua (and many others)Maunalua - Kuleana - Pa Konane

22 February 2009

The Evil That Men Do

That jackass Phil Gramm is at it again. He gutted the regulations that kept economic disasters like our current predicament from happening, but that wasn't enough. Now he's responsible for Swiss bank UBS becoming a haven for tax evaders.

Daily Kos contributor Devilstower has the full scoop, complete with references and citations. It's not pretty, but it's an important read. Check it out.


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The Evil That Men DoSong by Yo La TengoYo La Tengo - President Yo La Tengo / New Wave Hot Dogs - The Evil That Men Do (Craig's Version)

16 February 2009

Riders on the Storm

For the first time I can recall, a professional bicycle race came through Santa Cruz. Specifically, Stage Two of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California race ended here in Downtown Santa Cruz, after starting in Sausalito this morning.

Even more exciting, not only did the race come through Downtown, it went right down my street! That's right, I hung out in my front yard today and watched bike racing luminaries such as Lance Armstrong fly by not more than 10 feet in front of me. To chronicle such a momentous event, I took pictures and pulled together a photo page.

Aside from the fun of seeing the racers speed down my street, it was interesting to watch the weather seemingly cooperate with my fair city's debut as a staging ground for the Tour of California. While cycling through the mountains, the racers were reportedly deluged with rain. And even here in Santa Cruz, the rain was steady until about 10:30.

But as can be seen in my pictures, the rain stopped mid-morning and by Noon the streets were dry. A couple of quick showers made things interesting — I had Neighbor Nicole taking refuge on my porch for a few minutes — but they stopped by 13:30.

When the first riders came by at 13:56, not only were the streets dry, but the sun had just broke through the clouds. And Downtown stayed partly cloudy the whole time the racers were streaming through. By 15:00, all the riders had gone by, and the grey was back. By 16:00, dark storm clouds filled the sky. And by 16:30, hail was falling. It was almost like the collective will of Santa Cruz had managed to push back the storm just long enough so the riders could cross the line. After that it came rushing back in with a vengeance.

I only hope the tour organizers remember our meteorological manipulation when they plan next year's route.


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Riders on the StormSong by The DoorsThe Doors - The Very Best of the Doors (Bonus Track Version) - Riders On the Storm

06 January 2009

Free Yourself

Apple announced today that all 10 million songs available in the iTunes Store will be in the iTunes Plus format; eight million available immediately with the other two million later this month by the end of this quarter. This means the tracks are encoded in higher quality and are not governed by the FairPlay system that restricted use of the music to certain methods and numbers of computers.

This represents a significant change of world-view on the part of the music labels, one that should be celebrated and encouraged. So head right over to the iTunes Store, click the iTunes Plus link in the Quick Links list on the right side, and upgrade your music library today!

But remember, just because there's no digital-rights management restrictions on these files does not mean you should redistribute them beyond your own personal use. Don't Steal Music!


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Free YourselfSong by The UntouchablesThe Untouchables - Free Yourself - Free Yourself