You know things are bad when....

.....banner ads appear shilling the Hamptons, playground of the elite and wannabe's, as a resort destination..

Theyve never needed ads before.
----
When someone sprays "Scum go back to France" on a frenchwoman's car in the Houston area.


----
Five men have been killed , 2 in my mothers Brooklyn neighborhood in the last few weeks.

The commonality.. they all look like theyre from the middle east, when in fact - only one was.

The others were from India, guyana, Russia and Italy.

They suspect a young man or teenagers.

Readings..

Via UncleBob.. Disco the Kid's posting of Michael Moore's posting of a...>snip< ..open letter to George Dubya.

I like Disco's quote at the start of that. Pretty much summarizes the Anti-War feeling around these parts.

Although you still get the feeling, War or No War, the kvetching will never end, as its always something local or international here in Cause Central.

Hell, for that matter - it never ends in New York, either.

------
Marn, of course, a regular here in Excerpt Central

This time she discusses ordering Le Odor-Eaters, and...

The great thing about an experience such as this is that it burns the word into your vocabulary. So now I know that semelles are insoles and Odour Eaters are Dévore-Odeur Semelles. As a bonus, it involved almost no humiliation at all, unlike the time years ago I first tried to buy chicken breasts.

.. who knew looking for Chicken Breasts in French could be so traumatic?

-----
gg. (whose writing has gotten *tight* in the last few months, I must say) finds out that its not just the coffee at Starbux that you gotta watch the prices on...

how strange, i thought, that starbucks should sell such adorable stuffed toys? i gently rubbed its squishy, nubbly belly. awww... it's so soft! i debated on whether i should buy it, but at the last minute decided not to b/c it was frivolous, and Lord knows i have many such similar things at home. as soon as i placed it back in the basket, i noticed another woman immediately pick it up and stroke it in a similar way. i had an uneasy feeling about it. call it a premonition, if you will.

Starbux. Its sooooooo easy to get sucked in.

Cynic alert: <--- wouldnt be surprised if it werent starbux themselves selling these things on e-bay for hundreds just to jack demand for those toys.

--------
And Pammy (get the woman a PC!), who it goes without saying ....

CLEAN up.

That's one of the first things I do when a relationship ends.

Photographs disappear and are spat on/thrown out/burnt/fed to snakes/given to the neighborhood drunk, depending on how bad the breakup was. Stuffed animals are stuffed elsewhere. Text messages, picture messages and e-mails are deleted. Jewelry or accessories that had been worn as a symbol of the god forsaken mistake - err, love - are removed and discarded. Name of god forsaken monster - err, ex-boyfriend - is stricken from vocabulary.

It's not an act of cruelty - not always, anyway. You do it to move on. But no matter how thorough you think you were, sometimes, debris finds its way into your hands.

Just like the old message I found buried in my e-mail inbox last night.

That was a nasty surprise. The sugary words and pet names made my skin crawl.

It's about time someone started an after-relationship clean-up service.

They can choose from any of the following mottos:

"We can't kill him but we can make him disappear."

"He was a dog and we'll clean up after him."

And my current favorite, which starts with "Im Broke." and ends with "Bring on the vodka."

Heheh. Julez liked that one too.

Who has started a REALLY fascinating site.. Neoluddite.net.

Its the details, I like details.

Be. All that You. Can Be.

On her recent birthday, I sent my friend kate three calendars.

Not because she needed any calendars, god knows.

One was a calendar of Zen sayings. The other was a calendar of the the protypical Dragon, Bruce Lee, and the other was a small one of attitude sayings.

In other words, one for Wisdom, one for the warrior in her and one to help her stay inspired.

I want her to continue becoming the Kate I know she is. (*corn*)

-------

Chef Blackstock: "In the great scheme of things, Everton.. I am Einstein, my Sous-Chef is Isaac Newton... and you..are a one-celled amoeba with a prediliction for eating its own excrement.
Do I make myself clear?"
Everton: "Yes Chef."

- Chef!

Heheh.

To all the people who, over the years, nudged, prodded, advised, insulted, battled and inspired this young Knucklehead - I say..

Thank You.

For helping me to make the transitions from "I Cant" - "I Want" - "I Will" - "I Am".

Its now I really appreciate the effort that people made for me.


Its time for me to give back and do the same.

------
Whoa. Getting a teachers certification involves FBI checks???

Dont ask me no questions, I will tell you no lies

"What do you think about the war/bush/the imperial american aggression slaughter?" is a question I get asked a lot here in Berkeley.

Urg.

Every so often they actually listen for something other than what they feel or believe in.

Otherwise I get looked at like Im a baby-monger. (Uh, someone who tortures new-borns for fun, not someone who mongers babies by making a lot of them, just to be perfectly clear.)


If I consider your opinion valid, please return the respect.


So, just because I say "Get used to it, there is a lot more to come.." does NOT mean I love war, am a registered black republican, and I love or voted for George Dubya. Just because I consider the "Human Shields" going into Iraq and chaining themselves to hospitals and Baby Milk factories are well-intentioned idiots who will get other people killed.. Just because I think Al Gore woulda been a total twat in office, and like it or lump it - a simple-minded (but not a simpleton) Bush in office is maybe what was needed, does not mean I...
Shit. You all get what I mean.

I think for myself.

Or maybe some folk dont get that part.

Not all though, thank god.
--------------------------
New York Times:

Approach of War Reveals an Alienation in California

By some accounts, the chasm in attitudes between East and West is new only in its intensity. Many residents have always enjoyed thinking of themselves as different from the rest of the country..

Last night, around 8pm - University Avenue, Berkeley













And I hear another one going by right now.

Ave Maria Wahine

Im a cynic about human nature, which comes with having an overly-analytical mind and paranoid tendencies.

But I like being pleasantly surprised when people come through.

Mars came through, and then some. :-)

I was VERY happy when I saw a package with a Hawai'i postmark...


mars: hi jp...did you get the package yet?
JPennant: Ave maria! :-D
JPennant: ((((((smooch)))))
mars: lol
JPennant: got it, came this morn.. already been put to good use
JPennant: several people love ya :-)
JPennant: you da best
mars: lol
mars: good
mars: i sent it saturday
mars: =)
JPennant: wow, that fast
mars: yup. those postal workers sure can paddle quickly. haha
JPennant: well, thank you
mars: yer welcome
JPennant: means a lot that you came through
mars: why wouldn't i?
JPennant: eh, Im cynical. Most folk wouldnt.
mars: no prob bob. hahaha

--------------
(earlier, in my comments)

ono's is in half moon bay about 2.5 miles north of 92 on the cabrillo highway.
their ono chicken is to die for!
i like it better than shoyu cause its more sweet than salty but falls off the bone like shoyu chicken.

-[ evil ]

JPennant: I wanna try that Ono Hawaiian place
mars: do. hawaiian food is goood
JPennant: anywhere cheap and hawaiian?
mars: i dunno
mars: i never went in the bay area
JPennant: Ok, so I stroll into yer average Ono Grinds Hawai'ian joint .. what do you go for?
mars: i like mochiko chicken...but it depends
mars: shoyu chicken is good
mars: lemon chicken too
JPennant: whats mochicko, shoyu and lemon chicken?
mars: kalua pig is good...laulau..lomi salmon (these are all hawaiian hawaiian. the ones above are more just local)
mars: mochiko is sweet rice flour
JPennant: evil mentioned shoyu chicken
mars: shoyu = soy sauce
JPennant: kalua pig is like roast pig?
mars: hmm, steamed?? and shredded
JPennant: ooh
mars: yummy
mars: and you HAVE to have haupia for dessert
JPennant: whas haupia?
mars: coconut...like hmm, jello? but softer...
JPennant: oh yah. We have stuff like that in Jamaica
JPennant: like a coconut cream?
JPennant: but jigglier?
mars: hmm i guess
JPennant: okie
JPennant: plain rice?
JPennant: Im a rice fiend
mars: i like my rice plain
JPennant: me too
mars: the short grain, slightly sticky rice
JPennant: ah, yeah.
JPennant: I think I have a good starter dish in mind then
JPennant: Mochiko chicken, plain rice.. and portugese sausage? ;-)
mars: =)
mars: hmm, i dunno if that would go together.
mars: portugese sausage is for breakfast!
JPennant: oh!
mars: port. sausage, eggs, and rice
mars: haha
mars: i mean, i guess you can eat it any time and with anything, but its just weird to me
mars: hahaha
JPennant: some people couldnt imagine rice at breakfast
JPennant: Ive got no problems with it
JPennant: I make fried rice in the morn
JPennant: from leftover rice the night before
mars: yum yum
mars: pop some spam in the fried rice and you're good to go
JPennant: Im not that brave yet, m'dear ;-)
mars: haha

----------

Jules wrote re: Caring for Your Introvert:


What part did you identify with the most?

Lets see.. being around extroverts tire me all to hell. Irritates me too.

NOT because theyre extroverts. I actually like happy, shiny bouncy people. No, really.

But these same people often have a very nasty habit of drawing you in and THEN leave you after a short time to go do something else.

Whooo. *steam* Massive pet peeve. Ya cant take 'em seriously then.

That even relates to meeting up with web folk. If I am merely someone to be ticked off the "Met in person" list.. eh.

And conversely, if they flake on meeting (for whatever reason) thas also noted for a Very Long Time, as I dont do that kinda shit (meeting up with web acquaintances) lightly.



The acting rings true.

Yar. There are times when I have to tell myself to actually go crack a smile. :-)



The 2 hours of alone time for every 1 hour
of socializing sounds a bit much but I do feel it.


Yup. Gimme 2 days of Fortress of Solitude time for every hour of socializing...

A Day in Pictures

Riding down to the Peninsula

In the Bay Area, "The Peninsula" commonly refers to the southern sea-ward spit of land that has San Francisco at its tip and everything southward to San Jose.

Its also very often foggy and cold on the Peninsula, which is why flying into SFO is often an adventure in flying in circles and a jacket is left behind at your own risk.

I had an appointment on the peninsula and a session to go to in San Francisco, several hours apart.. so me and my companion decided to fill the hours inbetween the two with a drive down the Pacific coast...



Bright, sunshiney East Bay day in The Republic of Berkeley.

I know they pride themselves as being Cause Central and a Cradle of Free Speech.. but sometimes- cant they just stop the noise? Sheesh.





I take a lot of pictures of Beetles...







.. and dogs.



And then across the lesser known, but more important Bridge of the East Bay.. the Bay Bridge into San Francisco.







The Wall of fog over the Peninsula, shrouding the peaks of San Fran








Beetles, beetles, beetles.

Then, meeting done, southward down El Camino Real (which goes all the way south to LA)..



The signs are in chinese and filipino ...




Traffic.. my companion (born and raised in the Bay Area) complained that the ride down that road was so "suburbia".

Reminded him of where he grew up.






but then we crossed over the mountain ridge and headed toward Pacifica, which is where the fog greeted us..













I had wanted to see some of the coastal scenery as depicted in the comic strip "Same Difference", but there was no escaping the fog.











No one out but a lone fisherman and a surfer in the cold, cold Pacific waters...


































Then on back down the road (Highway 1)









Oh yeah, passing a pasture.... guess what these are?







Yup. Llamas. And there were a coupla emu's in the distance too.

*shrug* California. Dont ask why.



On our way down to Half-Moon Bay.. I saw



MONEY SHOT!



Which the telephone lines ruined. Gah.





That was as much as Half-Moon Bay we could see.

On the way back we saw..



Hey. Fresh eggs. Cheap. We thought.

Yeah, the fugger tried to charge 3 bucks for a dozen. Right.

Must think Im from the Bay Area or sumthin.

We got him down to six bucks for 36. Damned skippy Im from New York.

The little farm was interesting, as well as *pung* smelling strongly of shit. Geese, horse, chicken and..



Turkey shit.

"Betsy" wanted to kick my ass.








I stayed in the car.

How rustic was this lil place?

This rustic..














The guy told me the farm was from the early 30's.

I believe him.







So, back up the road to San Francisco



Passing the "Ono Hawaiian Grill" :-)



This is for the island folks, somewhere in the Pacifica area.



Back into the city.. traffic again



A biker chica.



"Mokey"'s car.. driven by an elderly chinese man. Okie.

And then to The Exploratorium, where the YlEM forum (proonounced EYE-Lem) was holding a session on Mathematics and Art.



As in my high school math classes, I was pretty soon fast asleep.

Until this guy started talkin.

This is Carlo Sequin, professor of Computer Sciences at Cal-Berkeley..

Its ironic to be takin pictures of the guy who developed the first CCD camera at Bell Labs, the direct descendant of which I was using to take pictures of HIM 35 years later.

His hobby, making abstact physical sculptures out of mathematical theorems.









After his talk, people came over to the table, handling the precision carved shapes..







It was interesting to see the shape and texture of peoples hands handling the sculptures.























And then the presentation resumed, segueing into a talk about Literature, Mathematics and Dreams, asking -- "Are art and dreams truly random, or does mathematics apply?"











One of my favorite flicks. And that raised the question in my mind.. are dreams and reality truly random?

I dont think anybody really knows...



As this day proves.