Sorry for the long hiatus.

Not been in the mood but I suppose I'll just go ahead and throw out a blog entry. Who reads these things anywayz?

1. Politics: I don't want to talk about it. The loudest voices are typically the most annoyingly partisan and extreme. If I listen too closely, I get upset and frustrated by the rhetoric. And there's one thing about Obama that has a bit disappointed me thus far.

We all know that the Shah of Iran pre the 1979 Islamic Revolution was a "puppet", if you will, of the West, and particularly the US. The Revolution, which replaced a Monarchy with a Fundamentalist Theocracy, was welcomed by Arab nations. And Muslims throughout the world praised the revolution as a conservative backlash against the Westernizing and secularizing efforts of the Western-backed Shah. Given this history, Obama (a determined conciliator) would be wise to depict his Administration as "Non-Meddlers" in Iranian politics, and in foreign politics in general. He prides himself on this position and his Presidential Election platform reflected this attitude that in-turn seemed to resonate strongly with American voters. So I UNDERSTAND why he would be very careful in his choice of words.

I also understand that most sane Earthlings view Ahmadinejad as a complete lunatic with an inferiority complex and I no-doubt believe our Administration feels the same. Mousavi is not much better, but these points are irrelevant.

In Obama's most recent speech at Cairo, he re-iterated his Administration's view on Muslim extremism by again reaching out to ally himself with the millions of Muslims who DO NOT support their extremist leaders...and in a way encouraged those dis-enchanted millions in Iran to speak their truth and demand new leadership.

So, the most relevant issue is that there are Iranian citizens protesting in the streets; they are demonstrating despite fear of slaughter, they are demonstrating for CHANGE, and they are demonstrating because the wish to deny their fundamentalist political leadership, and they are demonstrating even as they are dying.

Now I don't expect Obama to throw down some rhetoric that would incite the Iranian dissenters to riot relentlessly. But he should AT LEAST support a position that demands a "recount" of the votes, or some statement that addresses the claims and desperate concerns of millions of Iranians that this last "Election" was a complete farce. He hasn't once questioned the outcome of the election, and that is disappointing. These activist's and dissenter's are HIS (and in-a-way OUR) ALLIES in a movement that would have the Middles-East led by more moderate and less Jihadist Fundamentalists. We can't turn our backs on them.

2. Okay, enough about politics....and didn't I say I didn't want to talk about it? Anywayz, theDiscourser, his wife, my wife and I went out to explore the Mission's nightlife last Friday. We had a total blast. The food was really not that good but the people-watching, Sangria, and festively crowded streets were fun...and there are TONS and TONS of places to explore just in the Mission.

3. Hit THUNDERHILL yesterday with Rave-boy and his girlfriend. I suppose I can go through a session by session break-down of events, but I won't. I know that stuff is boring for everyone but myself, so I'll make the re-cap short. We had a BLAST. Great weather, great cars, no break-downs, no spins, no-crashes, and awesome driving. I'm working more and more on skill-building and the EVO takes everything I throw at it. In my particular run-group (run-groups are divided by skill-level and experience), I can pretty much keep up with the fastest drivers regardless of what they're driving. Make no mistake, I still get passed by a few, but once they pass me, they're not shaking me loose. I am right on their ass. And this is the KEY: I'm in complete control...I'm not driving over-my-head to keep up. I'm driving within my capabilities. I'm sure if thePerfectLine was driving, he'd just pass everyone with complete ease in my car, but I'm not close to that skill level yet...but I'm working on it!

That's it for now. Going out to eat some lunch. I saw two new eateries down the block: New York Pizza and Phat Burger. I think I'll check one out.

Local school district struggles with budget cuts:

The City my wife works within failed to pass a parcel tax that was designed to supplement the anemic school district budget. The Measure failed 63% to 37%...they needed 66% for it to pass. The 37% can party it up now.

The next day, my wife was handed a pink slip.

Understandably, we're upset. My wife really found a home at this school. The kids were great, the administrators at the school rocked, her co-workers were wonderful, and her commute was a cinch. She'll miss the school and her school is saddened to see her leave. Oh well...back to the drawing board.

Above and beyond how this budget crisis affects me and my wife personally, I was utterly shocked at how these cuts would affect the children. Her school district had already struggled with too few School Counselors at the Elementary School level. That situation has worsened to a point where you're laughing out loud from the abject lunacy and crying at the same time from sadness and hopelessness.

Why? Her School District has now cut the Counseling staff at the Elementary School level to a point where EACH of the TWO (as in "2", like one plus one equals TWO) counselors carry a caseload of 3000...NOT a TYPO. Yes THREE-THOUSAND EACH. Furthermore, these two poor souls will be spread across NINE schools...NOT a TYPO. Yes NINE. Are we living in a frickin THIRD WORLD COUNTRY!!!

The situation is absurd. Any decent and sane person would be outraged. But at WHO? Depending on your political leanings, you'll hear different blame-games. I don't GIVE A SHIT at this point. Our State's inability to get their spending act in shape is impacting the health and welfare of children (not to mention the disabled cohort I work with...but that's another story).

How can these TWO counselors address the psycho-social needs of SIX THOUSAND CHILDREN.
- How many need testing?
- How many need special-ed services?
- How many need one-on-one counseling?
- How many are dealing with abuse and violence at home?
- How many are dealing with drugs and gangs?
- How many are dealing with bullying?
- How many are dealing with suicide, self-mutilation, and depression?
- How many need group counseling?
- How many need family counseling?
- How many are struggling with grief, death and loss?
- How many have no parents?
- How many have ineffectual parents?
- How many are in poverty?
- How many need case-management?
- How many need confict mediation?
- How many just need someone to talk to?

I'm going to leave you with that. Feel free to let it soak it in. Party it up tax-payers! We really showed these kids whose Boss, huh! Pull yourselves up by the bootstraps kids cause you're on you're own!

Yes, I'm still alive.

Sorry for the long hiatus. I suppose I could have blogged, but not much in the mood as of late. I've had alot on my mind concerning county and state budget deficits. My CRAP union voted twice to accept concessions and I'll be taking a bit of a pay-cut. I know I should celebrate considering some of my colleagues have been laid-off while others reassigned. I know it has to do with the budget crisis and the global recession, but its unfortunate that our disabled citizens take the brunt with less services and with contracting resources.

I can hear the cry now; "Pull yourselves up by your bootstraps you lazy bum!!". I suppose that mentally tortured Schizophrenic living in squalor and filth slowly dying in the gutter should take that advice, but at the moment he's preoccupied with struggling against killing himself and picking the bugs out of his open wounds.

Regarding bearing the brunt in efforts to balance state and local budgets, Mt. Diablo, Redwood City, and Pleasanton County residents have narrowly turned down parcel tax initiatives which would have bridged the deficit gap. All required a two-thirds majority and all were within 2-3 percentage points.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/politics/ci_12411798
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_12507806
http://www.insidebayarea.com/pleasanton/ci_12511999

Mt. Diablo alone handed out 150 teachers pink slips yesterday...I suppose these teachers were getting rich with their outrageously high salaries. This should teach them a lesson, right? Class size in that district will go from sub-30 to 37. I mean let's take that line of thinking to its obvious logical conclusion: have ONE class of 1500 children, stuff them in a gymnasium and employ one teacher. That would save alot of money, right?

But the LAST thing we should do right now is TAX THE RICH any more than they are...I mean that would be Un-American, Un-Patriotic, and Un-Christian. Increasing taxes to raise revenue is utterly EVIL and SATANIC. It's downright Socialist, Communist, and completely Immoral. I must be some sort of Nazi to even suggest it!

But you CAN call this idea stupid...now THAT I can handle. But all kidding aside; is there a way to raise revenue without shooting ourselves in our collective capitalist foot? I realize all of us are in bed with the Rich...we count on them for jobs. But is there such as thing as fair and just tax policies? I can hear theProf. now; "But WHO would decide what is fair and just?". True, which is why I get frustrated with this conundrum. There are no easy answers.

A recent New York Times article on Prop. 13 and California's "State of Paralysis".

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/opinion/25krugman.html

Clearly we need some major reform as it relates to Education. The Discourser is much more adept at this topic than I, but he'll be the first to suggest that we do a complete Re-Boot of the entire system. Furthermore, where the hell is all the money going? Clearly teachers aren't getting rich, and Unions take in a percent or two. But what about the rest? If I find out that some un-godly percentage goes to centralized Sacramento administrators, I'll probably have to murder someone. Again, no easy answers.

Some articles on California Education Crisis:

http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2009/03/what_does_seven.html
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/may/23/california-budget-crisis-comes-to-head/

I'd actually be quite a Republican with regard to economic tax policies but I can't seem to stomach Right-Wing political rhetoric. Too Draconian and inhumane for my tastes....and this is considering my previous comment about murdering someone. I'm sick of hearing "We need more money! That will solve all our problems!" from the Left, and "You have enough money. Don't ask for more!" from the Right. Can we F-ing come up with a better solution?!?!

I don't know how to solve this mess, but one thing I do know. No matter what, we can't piss off the Wealthy. Hurt them and they hurt us trickle-down-style. Over tax industry and they move out of the state or out of the country to get a better deal. They have us completely over the barrel and the Republicans are right about that. Ultimately, we have to kiss their asses.

I hate ending this blog entry this way but I feel pretty pessimistic today...my apologies.

STAR TREK at IMAX

Firstly, please see theDiscourser.blogspot.com for his description of the events and his take on the movie. Well said indeed.

As for me and my review of the Movie; my personal psychology won't permit me to be entirely or completely invested in one particular side or position in most issues in life...and I'm referring to whether "STAR TREK" rocked or sucked. I'm too much able to appreciate other various points of view....and perhaps this "Ability" has more to do with it being a necessity in my career (an appreciation and empathy for client's personal realities however strange or psychotic or nonsensical or juvenile or perverted or psychopathic it might be).

So to channel the purists, I will acknowledge errors in continuity. Furthermore, there were errors in the internal continuity within the film, errors even within the "sci-fi" science realm, ie. I will accept that in the Star Trek Universe, there exists a mysterious liquid that can create quantum singularities. However, I can't accept that their black holes are different than um...okay...even as I'm writing, I'm realizing how utterly geeky I am.

In any case, I can go on a bit about the things I didn't like in the film, but please don't think that this suggests that I didn't like Star Trek. Nay, you would be incorrect. Lets just say, as theDiscourser so aptly decribes, my Face has been Ripped Off my skull. The only difference might be that theDiscoursers face was on the floor of the theatre; it's torn connective tissues mingling with fake butter dribbles and squished bubble-gum. My face, on the other-hand, is still hanging on by some muscle threads at the base of my chin. I'm frantically attempting to keep it from tearing off entirely.

So in a nutshell: Star Trek ROCKED. Completely and utterly exceeded all my expectations. I cheered and pumped my fists and simply didn't care about all the little errors and cinematic foibles. I was too deeply in goober-heaven to care.

Boy, the Media LOVES pandemics, don't they?

Media coverage of the Swine Flu perfectly demonstrates how the media loves to over-dramatize a story to such a degree that it creates PANIC. "You're WRONG Supergoober! People are dying! It's a raging pandemic!". You sir are a blithering idiot.

Case and point...and this should shut you up for good.

Perhaps 180 people have died of the Swine Flu WORLDWIDE. This is terrible indeed and I commend governments for taking action to restrict the spread of this virus.

Comparitively 4400 people will DIE of AIDS in Africa TODAY...and another 4000 tomorrow, and 4000 more on Friday, and another 4000 Saturday, and another 4000 Sunday, and another 4000 next Monday, and another 4000 next Tuesday, and another 4000 next Wednesday, and another 4000 next Thursday, every day this year. You want to talk EPIDEMIC you frickin MORON! And this is JUST AFRICA!

Oh, BTW, 146,000 people will die of something today throughout the world. Oh, and I forgot to mention, 25,000 will die of HUNGER and STARVATION. How was lunch today? And over 2,000 people will KILL THEMSELVES today. That make you feel sad and blue?

In other words Media, take you Swine Flu Panic and shove it up your ass.

My comment copied from TheProf's blog:

Responding to:

http://ifbrevityiswitthenwhydoikeep.blogspot.com/2009/04/james-joyces-dead-part-1-from-memory.html

"....and we get to see where our own foibles might dovetail with Gabriel's."

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. That's me (and I know you)...and the best stories are those that invite us to identify with aspects of certain protagonists.

In any case, Joyce is WAY WAY WAY over my head. Despite that, I can utterly appreciate any work that demands so much attention, delicate thoughtfulness, and participation from the audience. Jasper Johns and Miles Davis comes to mind in art and music respectively.

To often in today's world do we see folks interpret experiences based on first impression. Personally, and cynically, I believe this simply has to do with there being alot of stupid people in this world (just see what movies and music sells best and it becomes pretty apparent). Example: the Rorschach inkblot. This test does, to a certain degree, correlate strongly with intelligence.

Let me explain: you show them an inkblot that looks like a bat. You ask them, "What do you see?". They respond, "Looks like a bat". Then you ask them again, "Besides a bat, what else do you see?". This invites the person to enlist they're imagination and more importantly, their unconscious mind in the service of interpreting a rather amorphous looking blob.

Guarded folks are quick to respond with bat-like responses: bird, butterfly, moth, etc. One particular thing to note here is the time element. Guarded folks are also generally quick to respond with surface impressions. Inviting them to "think" utilizes faculties that stupid and unimaginative people just don't have. Mind you, the test is much more complex than I've described but with regard to this "staying on the surface", it does in a way speak both to an unwillingness to tap deeper into one's psyche and inability, for reasons associated with intelligence. Furthermore, too much in the other direction speaks to a psychotic process but I won't go into that.

Now back to the story. Joyce like Jasper Johns and Miles Davis and Stanley Kubrik, all of them asks the audience "What do you see?". Stupid people within the first 9 seconds will say "A bat" and nothing more. They don't see transcendent potential, or symbolic themes, or an invitation to delve deeper into one's imagination and unconscious. All they see and will EVER see is a frickin BAT.

I can't talk to these people. They're just dumb. I know I'm being too harsh because perhaps it might have to do with Maslow's principles and that perhaps they do have the competence but are currently dealing with more important and pressing matters like food and shelter and issues related to their health. Issues related to self-actualization and introspective enlightenment can't be addressed when you are emotionally or physically overwhelmed with other more important life issues. Which is why most folks look to movies as "escape" and want nothing more than to spend 90 minutes in a dark theater laughing about something that means nothing about nothing.

Reading Joyce smacks of that level of meditative thoughtfulness. I'd imagine most folks could sprint through "The Dead" in an hour and see nothing but a boring story. These are the same folks that listen to Davis and say, "This isn't music, where are the lyrics?". The same people that will watch "Apocalypse Now" and say "I got bored. For a war movie, there wasn't enough action in it. MORE EXPLOSIONS, MORE EXPLOSIONS!" I feel sorry for folks like that.

But I (like you) enjoy being challenged, which doesn't mean I can't be quite a Philistine at times!...hehehe

Music I can't get out of my head:

I think Lilly Allen is amazing...and so so adorably cute. I was introduced to her with her track "The Fear". My favorite version is the Stonbridge Explicit remix which you listen to here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sozsgo5aXnI

...and she's dating Ed Simmons, the guy from Chemical Brothers so she's cool on top of being cute.
____________________

Also really digging anything Kaskade and particularly his work with Deadmau5. My favorite at this time is this track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFlI6vJjX48
____________________

The next has been quite an all consuming search for me. I've attempted to find one particular version that's been stuck in my head for years. There are literally HUNDREDS of versions of BINARY FINARY on YouTube:
- Paul Van Dyke's remix
- DJ Tiesto remix
- Gouryella remix
- Binary 1998, 1999, and their own Finality Mix
- KayCee remix
just to name a few. But I've finally found the version I've been searching for here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF2wKZMfdiI

...totally epic version.
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And just to throw in a curve ball, Nessun dorma (No-one shall sleep) is a tenor aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot. I swear, this piece of music was written by God himself. Just epic. On youtube, you might find a hundred different versions from Boceli to Paul Potts to Domingo to some no-name opera student. But whatever you do, save Pavarotti's 1994 Los Angeles version for last. This guy's voice is once in a century...just completely effortless.
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Next is my favorite Dream Theater song...for now...its difficult to chose with this band! It's called "Glass Prison". The best vid is this one (IMHO). It's the video of Portnoy laying down the Drum track...AWESOME!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrxGBQ7XL6k
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Next up bums me out cause the singer is dead. Drowning Pool's "Tear Away".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUh2rw9o2JY
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The next blows my mind watching it. It's Paul Gilbert's tribute to Eddie Van Halen. The most insane aspect of this piece is that it's played on only three strings AND all the strings are tuned to "E", three octave separation. This guy is a frickin genius. BTW, just skip past the electric part to the acoustic part. The second part is Paul attempting to "teach you" how to play this piece...he MUST be kidding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4NNE3NRjJQ
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And next up is Miles Davis. This guy is a frickin REVELATION every time I hear him. It's neigh impossible to chose a favorite but certainly almost anything from "Kind of Blue" (which in my opinion is one of the most important works in music this past century) works. BTW, the 1997 remastered version is THE ONE to pick up. All previous versions were nearly an entire half-step sharp! Here's an example from Kind of Blue, "So what":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEC8nqT6Rrk
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And lastly, I leave you with Steve Vai's "I know Your're Here"...just amazing. Here is a LIVE version from G3 2003 Denver. NO ONE plays like Vai. He is an entire genre unto himself. He's playing a triple necked guitar; a twelve string up top, a six sting in the middle, and a fretless on the bottom. The fretless is played through a Fernandez sustainer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY8wyKuLY2k

The Craftsman's progeny's Birthday.

He turned ONE last weekend and I attended his Birthday gathering. The Acupunturist and theDiscourser attended as well. Boy, did I feel completely out of place. Couples with little children running around all over the place. I would have felt a little less uncomfortable if I had my wife with me but unfortunately she didn't return from Oaxaca until that evening. I think the Acupunturist felt even more out of place...poor guy. In any case, the party was fantastic and we had a great time: the Craftsman's new front lawn/deck/planter box looked AWESOME, and best yet, there was alot of food.

I eat alot, as all of you know. That night, I swung by theProf's home for some L5R gaming: the Acupunturist, Rave-Boy, and NTT's Brain attended. TheProf's said something to me that I took to heart. It was regarding the RICE. You see, I eat alot of RICE...and when there isn't enough, I get angry. C'mon, rice is like five cents a cup and whenever we cook rice it always seems we never make enough! My goodness, if I'm there, just go ahead and make 20 cups and we'll be good for a couple of hours. In any case, the Prof told me "You have to learn how to share the rice.", and I suppose he's right. I can't claim the whole tub as my own, particulary if I'm at someone else's home. This almost childish lesson truly speaks to my near Neanderthal position with regards to this particular staple...and you can include SPAM into the mix, which is why it was pure Heaven when I arrived at the Warden's house to see a dozen cans stacked next to his fridge at our last CorpCon.

But I have to say, theProf's new downstairs ROCKS; a huge projector screen, surround sound, a PS-3, a fridge, freezer, and a RICE-COOKER...just perfect. L5R gaming was great. My high-power character, Tsuruchi Kasena, is struggling to maintain his sanity. I've gone back and forth re. what I'd like to do with him: take the honorable route vs. becoming an all out villain. I've decided (at least for now) to take the honorable route and try my best to follow the Code of Bushido. It's been difficult to get into the Rokugan mindset re. soul and sword. My guy is all about duty and acclaim, issues I can wrap my head around. Start talking about ancestor and honor, I'm a few steps behind. Rave-boy has been playing this game really well and I'm quite impressed with how he's been able to translate the Samurai psychology.

About my car and driving; thanks to thePerfectLine and his uploaded vids. I've watched it 10 times now and I'm jonesin to return to T-hill to continue my work. I'm actually at a point where MORE POWER is no longer my first (or even second) priority. I'd like the car to stop even more viciously and looking at some future options. Going for a full R-comp with tires are definitely in the future...as soon as I scrub through my stock Yokohama Advan A13 C's. I'm looking at my schedule over the next few months and plan to get a couple of track days in during that time.

I'm eating Popeye's chicken as I type and will need to head back outside where it feels like the surface of Mercury...I'm sweating through my shirt and I'll have to put up with it for a couple more hours...yuck.

Thunderhill Update:

So I can't say it better than thePerfectLine so here is a link to his blog. He even uploaded VIDEO! Amazing stuff. The last video is nearly 20 minutes long...the entire length of session five. Bear in mind, there is some swearing, but damn, it's a great learning tool for me.

http://theperfectlinecar.blogspot.com/

In any case, I drove a 2:16.100! I was shooting for a 2:18 and would have been happy with that time, which is one second slower than an BMW M-Roadster, 986 Boxter S, and S2000 (see www.fastestlaps.com). I was soo pleased with myself. But you have to understand; thePerfectLine got in my car and pussyfooted a very tentative 2:16 and 2:17 time with just 2 hot laps. I watched his video and there was absolutely NO DRAMA in the cabin; no sawing at the wheel, no blatant oversteer or understeer...very clean and smooth. My lap was far from that; high drama, squirrelly at several places, and jarring braking. I figure if thePerfectLine had a whole day (as in 5 sessions) in my car, he could pull a 2:10 easily by the end of the day.

Here are some shots of the car on track:

CORPCON and THUNDRHILL this weekend!

ThePerfectLine is flying up and renting a G37 and hitting the Track with me and Rave-Boy. TheDuff is making his long awaited appearance driving down from Portland (the most depressing city in America) to do some gaming and gettin some rides. TheWarden has put up his place as Goober Central and we'll have TheGM, the Prof, the Acupunturist, and NTT's Brain in attendance as well!

Re. track days: I've now been to nine track days and attended about a dozen others as a spectator receiving rides from instructors. One thing you notice about the cars that come to these events....you see the same model of cars every time. You'll see:

- Porsche's: 911's, Boxter's, and now more and more, the Cayman.
- BMW: mostly E36 and E46 M3's.
- Subaru: WRX's and STi's.
- Mitsubishi: EVO POWER!
- Mazda: Miata's mostly
- Honda: S2000's and Civic Type R's
- Lotus: Elise's and Exige's
- Corvette: mostly Z06's.
- Mini Cooper S's

And occasionally, you'll find a one or two:

- Audi: S4's mostly
- Mustang: GT's
- Nissan: 350's
- Ferrari's: 360's
- Acura NSX

Now for cars you will almost NEVER EVER SEE:

- Any other American heavy ass, rattle trap, brake-fading, overheating piece of shit.
- Mercedes Benz: Despite their prodigiously powerful AMG's, mostly blue-haired 60+ year old real estate brokers drive these 4000lb cruisers.
- Volvo's
- Saab's
- Lexus
- Infinity (maybe a G coupe every now and again)
- Any Korean Car
- Any SUV or Crossover or Hybrid
- And to reiterate: Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, Dodge, GMC, Mercury, Oldmobile, Plymouth and Pontiac
- And any car weighing more than 4000lbs

To demonstrate, here is the list of cars that will be in attendance at our next Track Day:

http://speedventures.com/events/attendees.aspx?id=-1999999626

I will see my first DODGE at any track event I've ever been to at this event.

You see, 95% of automobiles can't even manage going around the track even for ONE LAP, particularly in stock configuration. Ask thePerfectLine. Give him the car for ONE HOT LAP balls out and I'm sure he could completely destroy most cars gearbox's, ignite a fire in the wheel well from the brake rotor heat, over-heat most cars piddly cooling system, send the oil temp through the roof, and boil the hell out of the brake fluid. I'm not saying that 95% of cars can't drive a lap at a road course because any car can drive a four minute lap at Thunderhill...my mother can drive a four minute lap at Thunderhill in her Toyota...okay, she can't, but her car can. What I'm saying is that 95% of cars when driven 10/10th's by a hot shoe will explode into pieces after just a few laps.

And thats what truly impresses me about most of these track-ready cars; their ability to endure massive amounts of abuse. They can rev and rev and rev and bounce off the limiter all day. You can pound and mash on the brakes till ABS kicks in 10 times every lap. You can throw it into a turn at a speed your mind can't accept, and the car just takes it again and again and asks for more.

I've never had that kind of car....until now.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DISCOURSER!!

...and he will always be older than me. Hope you had a great conference and a fantastic Birthday bro.

Thunderhill Update:

It's Tuesday morning and I'm still sick in bed. I went into the NCRC track weekend feeling the onset of a cold so the lack of sleep, cold weather, and pushing my body eventually took its toll. Just a day to day/session by session/blow by blow:

Wednesday night last week: Helped Rave-Boy work on replacing his suspension, swap out rotors F/R, pads F/R, brake lines F/R, and brake fluid. Rave-boy's girlfriend, brother, and the Mighty Mook helped out. Rave-boy's brother ended up pretty much doing most of the work himself. We worked into the night and the temps started to drop and I felt the pangs of a cough coming on. That evening, I had about 5 hours of sleep....amped for Thunderhill.

Thursday night: Worked on my car, itemized everything I had to bring and laid it out in the garage. Had even less sleep that night...even more amped for the weekend.

Friday: Left work early, packed my car, took a shower, ate garbage for breakfast and lunch and made arrangements to meet with Rave-boy to caravan up. Hit massive traffic and got into Willows at around 9PM. Checked into two rooms at the Willows Motel 6.



Had a decent dinner while thePerfectline arrived at around 10:30 with a Lemon's Racer buddy. We had a couple of beers and chatted excitedly late into the evening. I started a hacking cough at around 4AM and couldn't get back to sleep.

Saturday early morning: Woke at 5 and we rushed over to Thunderhill in complete darkness. We anticipated rain so we wanted to arrive early to get a spot under an awning. Temp read 35 and I didn't bring a coat. We got a fantastic parking spot and I proceeded to replace my wheels in complete darkness save my headlamp. My hands felt frozen and my back was aching from all the heavy lifting.



7:15: Finished the wheels, feeling super amped about hitting the track, checked out some race cars and headed over to the main building for a drivers meeting.

1st session: Torqued my lugs to 85 foot lbs, checked fluids, set tire pressure to 32 psi cold, wanted to add some negative camber up front but thePerfectline gave me way too much shit. Lemons Racer teased me for not having enough negative camber and pointed out time and time again how all the other cars out there had more neg. camber than I did. Even wanted to dial in more aggressive compression/rebound but I decided against it especially with the Perfectline urging me to just "Go out and just DRIVE dammit!".

Buckled into the Schroth Ralleye Four ASM 4-point restraint, set the adjusting center differential to "Tarmac", set the ASC program and active Yaw control to the OFF position, warmed up the motor, slipped on some Sparco racing gloves, pulled on my helmet, and drove onto pre-grid with the other SOLO 2 drivers. I was soo giddy and nervous I had to concentrate on breathing deeply and evenly in the pit lane lest I quiver and pass-out from excitement.

The first session was spent on getting the jitters out. I drove only fast enough to keep up and spent that entire session paying attention to the car. You see, after having owned a Stage III S4, I've become paranoid about something breaking for YEARS. The first session was really eye-opening in-so-far that I realized how amazingly rock solid the EVO was. So I barely accelerated, barely hit the brakes, barely screeched the tires, and pretty much didn't work on any lines at all. Most everyone did the same...a feeling out session.

Half-way through the first session, Rave-boy spun his car on Turn 11. Here is the layout of the track:



I was behind a very fast 928 with 315 Hoosier racing slicks when I noticed Rave-boy's Supra spun out on the left. Here is video of his spin. You can see how he should have set up Track/Right, should have hit the brakes harder, turned in more aggressively and by the time he realized he missed the apex and heading for the barrels, his only recourse was to give the wheel more lock which resulted in a spin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VytExcwLw0

As you can see, nothing damaged but a bit of a bruised ego. It was Rave-boy's first session out in over a year and the cars in our run-group were CRAZY!!! I mean cammed Z06's with race-slicks, Lotus', EVO's, race-prepped M3's, GT-3's, and 911's for cryin out loud!

Session Two: Went out with thePerfectLine. I somehow think that an instructor in my passenger seat would make me less attentive to my driving, but it's never the case. If I could have thePerfectLine out for every session, that would have been awesome. Session two was spent on simply beginning to work on some lines. For the most part, I spent session two marveling at how savagely my car accelerates, how ludicrously my car brakes, and how utterly ridiculous the car handles. I was positively giddy after that session...and again, my car was completely rock solid throughout.

Between session 2 and 3, thePerfectLine took Rave-boy's car out into the much much faster point-by run group. Rave-boy returned after 10 laps with a big smile on his face. Both felt that his Supra, despite being old, handled very well and took aggressive track driving like a champ....except for one fatal flaw in it's engineering: The Brakes. The brakes did very well under extreme conditions; credit modern cryo slotted rotors, modern brake pad compounds, modern brake fluids. But the problem was the HEAT...it simply couldn't dissipate the heat. There was smoke coming from the front of the car and his entire wheel surface, not to mention his lug bolts, were soo hot we couldn't even touch them for half a second before it burnt our fingers. It was an easy fix really; more air circulation into the wheel well. His wheels, though nice to look at, provide no entrance for incoming air...and neither does his wheel well.

ThePerfectLine suggested we pull off the wheel to examine the brakes...bad idea but we didn't know it at the time. As Rave-boy started to unbolt, he realized the lug broke off. This part of the story really sucks and way to long to detail, but the bottom line was after 10 hours of wrenching on the car by a dozen different people in several different shops, we couldn't fix the problem. Poor Rave-boy got only ONE session in before his car broke...and this is the stupid part: the part that broke was a two dollar part which no one can access or replace without special tools!....ARGH! I felt horribly for Rave-boy.

Next, thePerfectLine took me out in my car. This was a bad idea from the beginning; he's never driven my car ever and he'll be learning to drive the car on a race-track in one of the fastest run-groups. After two laps of practice, he came in to pick me up in the pit lane. His grin was from ear to ear and he could not stop praising the EVO's track prowess. I got in two laps before my stomach urged me to pull off, and let me tell you, those two laps were unbelievable! My car is soo stupid crazy fast in every frickin level that thePerfectLine could have conceivable passed even the fastest cars on the race-track! I was in awe not only of the car, but of his driving.

Here are some shots of the first day via Gotbluemilk.com. Apparently, there were two car #777. In one shot, you can see me passing Rave-boy's Supra. His car was #555 BTW.

http://gotbluemilk.com/web090321/777/index.html

He dropped me off at the pit lane and took off for a couple of more laps. I walked back to our parking spots to help Rave-boy work on his wheel lugs when thePerfectLine drove in and exclaimed, "You're not going to believe this buddy...I spun your car...". I immediately rushed to inspect for damage, and let me tell you, my first inclination was to kick thePerfectline in the face for spinning my car. But after noticing no damage save a rubber plastic lip guard and a small dent on the stock Enkei rims, my panic and anger abated and I resolved to simply state that thePerfectLine will never drive my car on a race-track ever again.

You see, his problem is not his skill...he is mondo-skilled and the best driver I've driven with, save an instructor with BMW GGC. ThePerfectline's problem is that he's reckless. He has spun half a dozen times on race-tracks and you'd think he'd learn his lesson after the fifth spin, but clearly he did not.

Anywayz, by lunch, I was pooped. We ate, watched a race, and headed back to our cars.

Session 3,4, and 5 were a blur. I realize that I have soo much fun driving that I forget how to drive the line properly. This is why I need instruction. By the end of the day, I'm hitting T1 to T5 pretty well and the the two scariest turns (T1 and T8) were now my favorite turns on the track. The other turns were pure crap. Every lap meant a different line but I began to actually use my brakes in a way I never had before...my Brembo's are AMAZING!!

Saturday Evening: Said goodbye to Lemon's Racer and headed back to town. We left the POS Miata at the track and had some Chinese food for dinner. Poor Rave-boy was still working on his car late into the evening. I was truly upset for the guy. I hung out with him a bit and he seemed defeated, understandably. We anticipated rain the next day and though he was signed up for the whole weekend, he just wanted to go home at that point...and I don't blame him. I would have felt the same.

BTW, I hadn't gone to the bathroom to "expel" for nearly 48 hours now, was coughing like mad, developing chest congestion, and shivering now and again. I got to bed by 11 and thePerfectLine was out like a light with his glasses on his face and the TV on the Speed Channel.

Sunday: I checked outside for rain....NONE! The forecast called for 2 days of rain. We've had not ONE DROP so far. Despite that, I expected rain today...I mean, how lucky can we get? Apparently, very lucky. It didn't rain a drop on Sunday either. It was surreal to see rain clouds and storms to the North, South, East and West of us but nothing at all at Thunderhill...spooky.

We rushed to get out to our first session. I was going a bit faster now, actually utilizing my brakes and accelerating harder between turns. Rave-boy decided to stay, and I was soo glad to hear that. He had his other car here and we stripped it clean of any debris, tech inspected it, and asked the coordinator's if Rave-boy could drop down to the Novice group. They allowed it and he went out for two sessions that day...and according to thePerfectLine, he did ten times better than the day before.

You see, the worst thing you can do is place yourself in the wrong run group. Having better more experienced and skilled drivers around you makes for high anxiety with cars zooming past you everywhere. You can't learn to drive when you're concentrating on people passing you every 1.2 seconds. I know from first hand experience. While as an absolute beginner at a NASA event, I accidentally went out with the Race-group...my GOD, "GET ME OUT OF HERE!", is the only thing on your mind.

By the time session 2 and 3 rolled around, the Mighty Mook and his better half arrived to get some rides. I took Mook out first and he had a great time. I drove slow and tried to work on some lines but having Mook in the car was too distracting.

Here are some shots of Mook in the car with me on Sunday:

http://gotbluemilk.com/web090322/777/index.html

During session three, Mook's girlfriend went out with me and she had a great time. Again, I drove slowly not knowing how much her stomach can take but apparently I've discovered I have the weakest stomach I know.

As for session 4, it was a complete revelation for me. Went out with thePerfectLine and it finally occurred to me that I need to brake more aggressively and actually HIT the apex burms. It was an epiphany during the last 2 laps...HIT THE APEX BURMS in T9, T10, T11, and T5 and your exit speed and your exit position is increased and improved substantially.

But by the end of session 4, my body and mind were devastated. I said goodbye to Rave-boy and his girlfriend who decided to bail early. I'm just glad he decided to stay. He learned alot, as I'm told, and his next experience will be soo much better, I'm sure. At our next track day, we decided and planned on lining up on pre-grid last and do some lead/follows together with zero traffic. We can both learn alot that way.

I replaced my wheels and said goodbye to thePerfectline. I skipped the last session to get a ride with the most powerful car in my run-group; a cammed Z06 with race-rubber putting down close to 600 to the wheels (which is close to 750 HP to the crank). What a way to end the weekend; a ride in the fastest car I've ever ridden in. The acceleration was soo savage that if you didn't have your helmet pressed against the headrest, you'd be sure to get whiplash during upshifts. And the grip from the 335 Hoosiers bordered on insanity. Despite the car's amazing speed and grip, he took turns no more cleanly nor more quickly than I do....it's just that his exit acceleration is soo much more monstrous and he's not afraid to punch it in the straights and fearless about his brakes in the braking zone.

All of this has left me feeling that I have alot of unfinished business at Thunderhill. I can't wait to go back with what I've learned and string together some really fast laps. I think I have it in me, and I KNOW the EVO is capable of anything I can throw at her.

Next time, I hope more of you guys can make it. I'm happy to give rides, just as long as you don't puke.

Cars again?

Please don't think that there is nothing else going on in my life but cars. It's just that my blog makes it appear that way. Most of the time I don't like to talk about my work, primarily because I work hard to leave work at "work". I have some pretty strong boundaries and so do most of my colleagues. As far as I know, not ONE of the some thirty of us that make up our particular office have anything other than work relationships; no outside get-togethers, no hangin out on the weekend, no going out to a game, no dinner and drinks after work on Friday, ZIP, NADA, ZERO....and I believe we all prefer it this way. I think this is what happens when you work with a bunch of psychologists, clinical social workers, therapists, and psychiatrists...perhaps we do it to compartmentalize the work so it becomes more tolerable, less aggravating, and less powerful a force in our lives. I'd like to think of it as balance or homeostasis.

But please, make no mistake though, I love reading my fellow blogger's work-site tales. Perhaps because they seem soo much more interesting and entertaining than mine. To come to think of it, if I actually talked about the individual client's I work with, it would probably depress you or anger you. So I think I'll avoid talking about them.

Anywayz, back to cars. The EVO is almost ready for her first track weekend at Thunderhill. Rave-boy, his partner, and thePerfectLine will be at attendance as well. I can't even tell you how excited I am about taking her on the track for the first time. I'm most certainly taking it slow for the first couple sessions and slowly adding more aggression over the weekend.

So here are some new shot of the car all tricked out....I LOVE IT!

Catching up with this entry....

Okay, just to catch up with some stuff:

The car is sold! She was loaded on an enclosed carrier and shipped to Michigan. The new owner is exactly the kind of owner I was looking for and promised to give her a good home. I think a GT TIAL and full motor rebuild is in the works for her...DAMN, you're looking at MONSTER power at that point, like SEVEN HUNDRED HP or thereabouts. He'll keep me apprised on his progress. Driving her down the street for the last time and watching the carrier drive off was like saying goodbye to a very good friend. The new car love affair has certainly blunted my sadness abit.





Re. movies, you all know how much I love esoteric symbolically laden transcendental flicks that require 100% concentration and participation on the part of the viewer, but my favorite movies this year didn't fit this mold. In terms of this last batch of Oscar flicks, I have some gripes:

The Reader: Slow and plodding, and as theDiscourser mentioned, I neither cared for nor wished to identify with any of the characters. But re. the emptiness and confusion at the end; my wife and I discussed this at length afterwords. Most if not all Holocaust subject films make the attempt to discover or uncover or reveal certain "truths" or "meaning" about a certain aspect of the systematic slaughtering of millions. "Life is Beautiful" was a lesson in courage, "Shindler's List" put on display quiet heroism, "The Pianist" destroys all illusions about so called inherent humanity, etc,etc. But in "The Reader", the film-maker made no attempt to reveal any truths....none....and that was his intention. The viewer is left feeling empty. At several points in the film, he gave it away:

Lena Olin's character was asked "what did you learn?" with her experience at the death camps and she responded "Nothing...there was nothing at all to learn". Hanna Schmidt was asked twice, once by the tribunal and again after years of incarceration by Feinnes character. The tribunal asked her "Why? How could you?" and she gave NO answer that came close to satisfying anyone's desire for meaning and closure. And after years of incarceration, she was asked again "What have you learned from all of this?" and her response resonated with Olin's, "What is there to learn? The Dead are still Dead". And I suppose that was the point. Move on and live your life. The past, however devastatingly tragic it might be, is still the past. You've survived. And the last scene of the movie typifies this sentiment; Fiennes character unburdening himself of his past and making his first steps at repairing his relationship with his daughter...all of this juxtaposed against Hanna Schmidt's grave.

"Slumdog Millionaire" was certainly NOT the best film last year. In my opinion, it wasn't even the best Indian film last year! But I get why it won. I see most Hollywood garbage like I see fast food: easy, brainless, dumb, and yummy. No effort is required by the viewer, you just open your mouth and say "AHHHH", and they feed you greasy yet delicious fat fried food. The hook with Slumdog is that the American 18-35 yr.old demographic will taste it and think "Wow, this tastes like a double cheeseburger!" and not realize they've just eaten steamed vegetables. The movie is soo appealing that most American's won't even realize they've watched a tiny small budget foreign film, experienced a different culture, and cheered on lead protagonists who were Muslim. "Foreign" to Hollywood are: the night shots in Budapest in some explosion ridden spy-movie, the bad guys, the bad prison guards, etc. And can you name any movies with attractive likable Muslim leads except perhaps last year's "Kite Runner"? So I understand why it won...but it wasn't the best film last year.

My favorite films last year surprised even me. I loved "Vicky, Christina, Barcelona". Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johannson, and Bardin (the serial killer from "No Country for Old Men") what more can I say? Such a smart film. And I loved "The Dark Knight" and "Ironman"....yes, big budget Hollywood films, but I'm a sucker for anything Comic and both both these movies were AWESOME. "La Misma Luna", a Mexican film about the immigrant experience...soo cute and heartwarming. And my favorite film last year was...and I'm actually embarrassed to admit this..."Wall-E". I loved everything about his film, it was pure magic for me, just absolutely brilliant...and certainly NOT for kids.

Anywayz, gotta go.

The intrapsychic and spiritual underpinnings of the "Zombie Holocaust" fantasy.

My buddy TheWarden is ready, prepared, and looking forward with great glee and satisfaction to the End of Civilization via Zombie invasion and infestation. He offers survival tips and recommendations in his blog: "Leadedcoffee.blogspot.com". You'll see that I'm not kidding.

Regarding intra-psychic and spiritual underpinnings, let me first describe the more common Judeo-Christian example.

My Mother is a devout Christian of a particularly fundamentalist type. And much like most fanatical religious views, the most fervent have core beliefs that have been internalized into working intra-psychic mechanisms. Let me first qualify that the original text from which theses beliefs have its genesis do not necessarily over emphasize these particular beliefs...that instead, the respective cultures have over centuries developed deep and rich symbolic history in art and literature which have amplified certain aspects of certain stories within the text.

Just to clarify my overly circuitous language with an example: Hell. When comparing the extent to which the Bible discusses Hell to the extent to which our culture has richly elaborated this concept in literature, song, imagery, and government throughout the centuries, you see how this particular notion/concept has easily captured our imaginations and placed a degree of emphasis not commensurate to the Biblical text.

Now regarding the intra-psychic spiritual underpinnings, the point I just wanted to make is simple, actually: that we believe what we believe because it meets both our spiritual and intra-psychic needs. My Mother searched for years to find a system of beliefs that made the most sense to her, that suited her particular psychology, that gave her the greatest comfort, and gave her the greatest sense of purpose. I don't fault her for that...and I don't fault theWarden for choosing his own particular set of beliefs. To theWarden, an End of the World scenario involving Zombies suits him, gives him great purpose, and gives him (albeit a perverted) sense of comfort.

I categorize and easily elevate theWarden's beliefs to the realm of the Spiritual given the striking similarities between aspects of his psychic mechanisms with those who believe in the more common religions:

- Both see themselves as "enlightened". TheWarden believes he is a member of an enlightened few who are strong enough and willing enough to see the "Truth" about things to come.

- Both evangelize their beliefs. TheWarden wants to help you save yourselves when the Zombie shit hits the fan.

- Both foresee an End of Days where there is Judgement. This is a KEY element. TheWarden sees the masses of people as mostly "complainers and whiners" and power "cannibals and petty warlords", where morals, ethics, values, and even common courtesy have devolved irrevocably. And in the end, it is these who will be judged and "exposed to sheer horror", as he puts so well. This is theWarden's Hell for people on Earth, it is a World not only of chaos, but of ZOMBIE chaos. Chaos is simply not enough for the Warden, but he wishes for the worst possible end as a means of "punishment". And I'm sure there is something deeply scarring in his personal history with respect to this oral theme of being eaten alive as is with me and being "possessed" by Satan in its truly personally horrifying fear of being totally out of control of my impulses and wishes...but I digress.

- To emphasize, Judgment AND PUNISHMENT are concepts shared. For theWarden however, ZOMBIE PUNISHMENT is transformed...he REVELS in other peoples agony and terror but escapes his OWN guilt regarding this desire by inserting and exposing himself to the same terror and potential agony as all those being punished. However disturbed this sounds, I find it no more disturbing than the Judeo-Christian much sublimated wish for the wicked to "Go to Hell".

- And as with the Biblical End of Days, even the Meek and the Righteous shall suffer, but those who have prepared themselves spiritually will be saved. Do I need to say more about the "Preparedness" issue with theWarden? TheWarden is prepared...and much like other types of believers, he is strengthened by his preparedness, resolute in his strength to persist, and righteous in his wish to save others.

I have to stop here but I should say that we all have certain beliefs and even wishes, however irrational, about how our world should End if it ever does. These fantasies speaks specifically to our individual psychology and most of the time alert us to our psychic foibles and scars. For me, I have several, and all are completely irrational but serve me psychologically. I'll share them with you as theWarden has at another time. In any case, given my attraction to Sci-Fi and the time-travel genre, I have a disturbed fantasy of having each and every human alive today wake tomorrow in the world as it was just after the Ice-age; no buildings, no power, no government, no laws, no rules, no metal, no money, no ships, no cars, no TV's, no sneakers, no shoes, and just the clothes off your back and your determination to survive, and ultimately how how little or how far each person would be willing to compromise their Humanity in the course of their own survival.

Regardless of how I've come across in today's entry, I nevertheless enjoy theWarden's blog and have at times we've even gleefully discussed specific Zombie scenarios...because in the end, you never know....

I've found a buyer!

The last 2 weeks have been a mad dash to get the car up and ready for sale. I won't bother you with all the little details but thanks to NTT's Brain, I put up an Encyclopedia of an Ad on blogspot at stage3s4.blogspot.com. He took some great pics.

I could have completely blanketed the web with Ad postings on Audizine, Craigslists, Autotrader, and even Ebay. But I want my car sold to someone who knew all about the Love/Hate relationship and constant tweaking involved in owning a Stage III car. I chose just Audiworld and in just a couple of days I was inundated with nearly 20 different emails form folks all over the Country! One thing to note re. my price...it is ludicrously low. Eight months ago, before our Country's economic downturn, Stage III cars were regularly selling for 16-18 and up. Lately, they've been selling for a pittance and the Stage III community is up in arms. After posting my Ad and the asking price on Audiworld, a board that I've been a member of for several years, I was greeted with some angry remarks about how I'm ruining the market on Stage III's with my price-point. One guy even called me "High" and another one an "Idiot". Several folks came to my defense saying that the price was fantastic but its also what the market will bear at this time. If I priced it at 14, I'd wait months to find the right buyer...oh well.

So, back to the potential buyers. Several of them shot out emails stating "What's it do on the Dyno bro!?"...needless to say, I told them that they probably weren't the kind of buyer I'm looking for. Several others mentioned that this would be their daily driver, another bad sign.

But one guy blew me away with his email. He said all the right things; owned a B5S4 in the past, current owner of two other Audi's including a bad-ass B7 S5 (checked out his profile on Audiworld), and he's an Audiworld senior member. Says he absolutely loves my car and wants to buy it as a project car, a car he can drive on the weekends, and eventually build up to a true MONSTER. Says he is acutely aware of all the problems they can provide but has fallen in love with the Pictures...apparently he wants EXACTLY my car: a black on black 01.5 Stage III with Reiger RS4 bumper and totally immaculately clean...that's my car. A buddy of his came by to look at the car last night, and he had a brand new BMW 335 Twin-turbo! His friend told me that the buyer is soo excited about my car that he's having trouble sleeping!...and his girlfriend is complaining! I just got the deposit to take it off the market and he's arranging for a covered trailer to trailer it back to his home in Michigan! He'll be sending me the balance when he schedules the pick-up. We've been chatting on the phone and going back and forth via email and this guy reminds me of myself in the way I get out-of-control excited about car-shit.

I could not have found a better home for my car, I tell ya.

I am 40 frickin years old...

Superbowl Sunday marked my Birthday. I am 40...my God, I'm an old man. I'm middle-aged for Christ's sake! YARGH! But I look in the mirror and I kinda-sorta look like I did when I was somewhere in my late 20's...I even fit into the same clothes, work out with the same vigor, lift the same amount of weight, and can even RUN now! An activity that was sure to make me puke in my twenties. I can still pretty much eat whatever I want. My tri-glycerides are minuscule, my blood-pressure is still bafflingly low. I still have my hair, though its receded just a bit, but certainly not even close to balding (knocking on my particle board desk as I write)...and I only have a few little white hairs sprouting from my side-burns. And on rare occasions, I even garner a few looks from younger women. I CAN'T BE FORTY!!

Then again, I need more sleep than I used to...I'm simply wiped out if I don't have a good 7 hours. I actually get bags under my eyes the morning after poor sleep. Furthermore, my memory, which has always been horrid, has failed me more often than I'd like. Also, younger people's clothes look more and more ridiculous to me. And I can't drink at all...I get hammered after ONE drink. And to get into summer beach shape, I need a hellavalot more than 2 weeks of heavy working out. And when I get a cold, it lasts a good TWICE as long as it did in my early 20's. And more and more, I'm looking either over or under my glasses to read something. Come to think of it, after being stooped over for any length of time, my back needs more time to uncoil. I guess I am getting older.

I suppose I'll hit that proverbial wall in my mid-40's...or later, I hope. In any case, I'm going to try my darnedest to stave off physical middle age.

But regarding my Birthday, the Discourser, his wife, and MY wife threw me a surprise Birthday Party and I was completely caught unawares! No clue at all...or rather, every clue pointed in the opposite direction. I spent the evening before with theCraftsman and he didn't drop one hint. Rave-Boy even called me and pretended to ask me to game with the guys on Saturday night, going so far as to post a bogus group email to solidify the ruse. I was completely blown away!

When I walked into Havana Restaurant, the host even said "...oh yes, Supergoober, party of four, this way...". I was soo convinced that I wouldn't have a party that when I rounded the corner and saw Moose's towering head, I thought to myself "WOW, what an incredible coincidence! The Moose is here!". But then I saw the Professor and Rave-boy and then I realized what was up.

Thanks to my wife for all her work and her frightening ability to keep a secret. The Food was great...I had Paella and a what seemed like several plate fulls of appetizers. I had trouble breathing given my distended abdomen. I had a fabulous time. I feel a little bad about the cost of dinner so I've decided to make a little of it up next time we game where I'll be ordering take-out for the crew.

And just a few shots of Dinner.

The Menu:



And despite telling myself I wouldn't show faces of friends on my Blog, I've broken that rule with the next two. My apologies. The Craftsman's wife and the Acupuncturist were there. At least you two are photogenic so consider yourself lucky! That's a Mojito in Mr. Acupuncturist's hand.



Gaming at the Hob Nob:

The Two Beasts in my garage....

Its weird to have nearly NINE HUNDRED HORSEPOWER in your garage. I drive the S4 one day and enjoy its near ludicrous acceleration, screaming exhaust, luxury, and comfort on one day, then drive the EVO and enjoy its ludicrous handling, no-bones interior, super-tight cockpit and uber-precise controls the next! I am completely spoiled. But alas, the S4 has to go...and go soon. I've recently had my insurance redo the front hood and bumper and my GOD does the car look utterly bad-ass. Working on the final last details to get her ready for the sale:

1. A smog certificate on Friday which will be good for two years.

2. A complete polish and detail on Monday to get all the swirl out and ultimately get the finish looking damn close to Show-car level.

3. Have NTT's Brain take some pictures on his super-camera next Wednesday to upload on Audiworld Classified.

4. Finish my Ad and upload it onto Audiworld Classified.

5. And wait for a response.

The market on Stage III cars just eight months ago was as strong as it have ever been. Equivalent examples of my car were selling easily for 16K or more. Well now you can FORGET THAT...and the Audi Stage III community is outraged. Stage III cars simply do not sell well (or hardly at all) since the economic downturn. I've seen a dozen on Ebay over the last three months that have not even come CLOSE to their reserve price. The price-point has come down big time. The last Stage III car sold for a meager 11K!!!...ARGH! My GOD, the KKB price on a private sale for a BONE STOCK S4 is 11,900! What has this world come to.

But ultimately, with regards to the global economic depression, I've certainly come away ahead. I simply remind myself that I paid 26,888 for EVO X, a car that just a year ago folks paid (MSRP plus finance interest) 45K to own! And in the end, if I end up losing out a bit on the sale of the S4, all is still good...so I shouldn't protest too much.

So I've taken more pics of BOTH the cars at once. Its a rare pleasure to simultaneously own two Turbo-charged AWD monsters so I wanted to take some photos for posterity's sake:

Note the four-piston Brembo's...yummy:



The EVO weighs less but it is positively huge compared to the Audi.





And just the EVO...mmmmmm

A Day of Celebration.....

HAPPY OBAMA DAY!!

I can't help but feel hopeful, optimistic, and proud today. I watched the Inauguration and following speech yesterday with my fellow Clinic co-workers. Some 30 of us sat around the large desk in our conference room cheering throughout.

Mixed in with my colleagues were a dozen or so schizophrenic clinic clients. It was truly a surreal experience watching the Inauguration with a bunch of half-lucid psychotics. One of them stared at Obama's image with a horrified expression quietly mumbling near incoherent phrases describing some strange paranoid delusion re. the President "watching her". Another client irritatingly walked back and forth in front of the television screen....his/her (couldn't tell) therapist directed her to have a seat. Another sat two seats to my right popping his morning pills, rocking back and forth in his chair, and occasionally giggling to himself. And another, wearing a black Obama shirt, smiled at the TV, pointed at the Obama image and repeated "Wassup, Wassup....Wassup!" throughout the entire event.

So I knew I shouldn't have, but I did. I listened to conservative radio in the afternoon, "just to get a different perspective", I told myself. Big mistake. They dismiss our hope and would rather feel hopeless. They dismiss our optimism in favor of fear. They dismiss our pride in our country and see it as anti-White racism. While they mock us for seeing Obama as the Messiah, they have no insight into how they see that him as the Anti-Christ.

Their is an almost perverted wish to have out Country falter, fall further into economic hardship, fail in our war against terrorism just so they can PROVE US WRONG. And the ONE utterly obvious point that these Neocon's can't seem to fathom is how people of color see this as a symbolic victory....how being the first Black president, and what that means, and how that demonstrates how far we've come, and how so many see this as a Victory brought out from the culmination of generations of struggle...they simply do not see how powerfully important this moment is for soo many. They don't get it. They mock the tears of joy. They mock the jubilation. They laugh at our Hope and our Pride in our Country. And their apparent empathic incapacitation has left them unable understand why folks are soo emotional today, especially Black people...the entire historical narrative is lost on them. What a pity...what a pity.

Fifty years from now, what will these Neo-con fan-boys say to their grandchildren? "Obama meant nothing. I didn't celebrate his victory because being the First Black President is unimportant. In fact, I wanted him to fail. I don't care what he means to people around the world. All of them, every single one of them are stupid. Him being elected means absolutely NADA. I don't acknowledge his Presidency's historic impact...its all a bunch of hooey to me. Big deal if he's black...big...frickin...deal."

...what a pity.

Anywayz, other than the Inauguration, I have pretty much had nothing else but CAR STUFF swimming around my head...literally almost every quiet moment I have, I think about car stuff: camber, toe, inverted coilovers, spring rates, limited slip diffs, tire width, air-fuel mixture, etc. etc. This is what happens when I get a new car.

Anywayz, gotta go....

.......A New Chapter, A New Age, A New Car.......

The planets aligned on Monday and I've cashed in several years worth of Karmic Brownie Points to pick up the SWEETEST most LUDICROUS deal imaginable. My Dream Car (realistically speaking, and not psychotically speaking, else I'd obsess about owning an $800,000 Pagini Zonda "F" Clubsport) has been fiscally improbable and I've been resigned to the idea of selling my car in February and picking up a slightly used 2006-07 Subaru Imprezza STI for around 26 to 28K. Factor in used-car financing rates being at best 4.5 percent, you're looking at an additional 1300 bucks a YEAR over the life of the loan!

Enter the stock market crash and the subsequent flagellation of the Auto Industry and we're looking at car companies with unbelievable rebate offers and insane finance products in a near desperate effort to clear out their bloated 2008 stock. This is clearly a buyers market, and perhaps the best car-buying market in a generation. On a whim, I looked at Mitsubishi Motors and low and behold, they are offering ZERO percent financing up to SIXTY MONTHS on not only their economy cars but their HALO/Flagship car the EVOLUTION X as well...again, an extreme rarity. At this point, I began an utterly exhaustive investigation, calling every Mitsubishi dealership in Northern California, cruising Ebay, and scouring Craiglist for the best deal possible.

The special ZERO percent financing was up on Monday Jan. 5th so I did my final round of calling, visiting, and cut-throat negotiations that morning. You see, I'm looking to buy an EVOLUTION GSR with just the right options: the Track/Aero package and nothing more. This car MSRP is $37,490...whew, you see why I was looking at a used Subaru STI. My attitude in negotiations was simply; ask to speak to the supervisor and low-ball the F$%& out of the price...and I had two Bay Area dealerships positively furious with me insinuating I had insulted them, taking advantage of the Auto Industry's desperation...but I could care less. I WANT A DEAL. I offered 28,999 and salespeople threw up their hands in incredulity; "Are you serious!?", "That's 5 grand under Invoice!" (shaking paperwork to demonstrate their point). Twice salespeople dismissed me to EBAY to buy a used EVO 9 or even 8 with 10K miles on the odometer because my offer was so outrageous.

The last day of the ZERO percent financing offer was coming to an end and after being laughed at and scolded by salespeople up and down Nor-Cal, I figured it just wasn't meant to be. I gave it one last shot and swung by Serramonte Mitsubishi which had the largest glut of EVO's in the Bay Area. I walked into the showroom, spoke with a very friendly and very un-intimidating saleswoman and after some small talk asked her directly what their lowest price was on an EVO GSR with the Track/Aero package. She didn't bat an eye, walked over to her sales-manager, pulled out a newspaper ad from that morning, looked at her one and only GSR Track Pack, busted out the calculator, and said "How about $26,888?" My jaw dropped. I asked if we were talking about the right car. She checked again and said she was.

Apparently, only hard-core enthusiasts would be interested in an EVO GSR Track. To get buyers into their showroom this week, they had run an ad that morning for their ONE EVO GSR Track to get buyers in to look at their 18 other less hardcore EVO's. They had a large number of offers for that ONE CAR in the 8 hours since the ad had run but NOT ONE qualified for financing...the demise of the financial markets in effect. I submitted my SSN and my near 800 FICO scored sealed the deal!!!!!

Talking with the sales manager afterwards, he mentioned that I had just purchased the lowest priced EVOLUTION X in Northern California since they first began selling them fourteen months ago! In fact, they were selling for 5K over MSRP (43K!) with 4.9 percent financing late last year! People were actually spending nearly 50K for this car!

Anywayz, I felt dizzy when they told me the price and had to sit down when they told me I was approved. I was positively shaking when they handed me the keys to the car which was washed and waxed, with a full tank, and ready for me to take ownership. The drive home was an exercise in containing my jubilation. EVEN MY WIFE APPROVED OF THE DEAL!!....my last and final hurdle.

Here are some pics:





The specs on this car is too numerous to list, but here are the highlights: Brembo GT's front/rear, Recaro buckets, front limited slip, rear limited slip, active center differential, ASC, active-yaw control, ABS, inverted dampers, strut tower bracing, aluminum control arms, front-splitter, undertray aero, rear diffuser and wing, etc. etc. etc. I can't say it better than the hundreds of Magazine articles praising this car, placing it on a short list of Uber-Track-Weapons....but I'll try in one sentence:

......Telepathic Handling.......

My GOD, the performance is mind-bending. I'm sure the PerfectLine can describe the sensation when he first drove the M-Coupe and the Lotus Elise....you literally have to RE-LEARN how to drive a car. Yes, my S4's acceleration is like a bomb exploding, but the GSR will run circles around it in the handling department...and 400HP ain't nuthin to laugh at either!

Anywayz, gotta go. I'll let you guys drive it when I see you next. One thing though, the clutch needs another 400 miles of break-in and the motor another 500 miles of sub-5000 RPM driving. The ECU map has been switched to "stock/break-in" so I'll be driving it like a Grandma for a while.

Back from the East....

...and had some great times, but man, am I happy to be home...and so are our little cats.

Some items of note:

- The American History Museum on the Mall has been reopened after two years of renovation. The place is massive and was packed with tourists. BTW, the day I went was the warmest Dec. 28th on record in DC: 68 degrees! Overall, the Museum was so-so; disappointing in some areas and up-to-par in others. No need to get into any details.

- My wife's Aunt and Uncle celebrated their 40th Anniversary and took my wife and I, well as several other family members, to L'Auberge Francois, a French Country/Inn restaurant in a super-posh DC suburb that makes Hillsborough look positively third world. This was my first experience in French cuisine and I AM HOOKED! We had 8 frickin courses over a span of 3 hours and everything was crazy-ass good; sauce after yummy sauce, tiny Amuse-Bouche's, tasty palette cleansing dishes, and portion sizes that completely blew-out all my presumptions about French culinary fare.

- Read DEWEY READMORE BOOKS, a true story about a very special library cat in Iowa whose story touched so many throughout the world. The book is partly about the cat but mostly about small-town life, small-town values, and the beautiful Midwest state of Iowa. Quick read and had to bust out the Kleenex at the end.

- Also reading OTHER CRITERIA by Leo Stienberg, a hefty text on confronting, deconstructing, and decoding 20th century contemporary art. Massively dense but utterly fascinating in the way it RE-addresses our notions about Art, unlocks areas in our psyche in which Art had not had access to previously, and challenges us to experience Art in ways we Could not and Would not experience previously. My brain is being put through the paces, exercising neurons and accessing uncharted areas of my cortex. It's like my brain is one FIRE! I've experienced epiphanies about seemingly enigmatic art (particularly Jasper Johns and Pollack) and want to share these revelations with you folks.

That's it for now...run out of time at work.

The Yearly Eastcoast Trip so far....

I've had such a wonderful time here (as I seem to have every year) that I wanted to share all the details of all the folks we visit when we come out East...but it would be too lengthy to account so I've decided against it. Instead, I should just say that the best part of the Christmas Holidays for me and my wife (and I suspect with all of you) is spending time with Family, Friends, and Friend's Families. You see, my wife moved out to the West Coast fourteen years ago. She said goodbye to a whole world of friends and extended family out here and subsequently visit with them only once (or twice when schedule and finances permit) a year since...typically during the Christmas Holidays. For the past seven years, I've become a part of her yearly migration back home.

We reconnect with people who themselves have come from all parts of the Country and at times the World to return Home for the Holidays. We've spent these past several days with my super-cute niece and nephew, my in-laws, several very old family friends and their families, and her oldest friend's family...just think my relationship with theDiscourser and his family. We've had such a blast chatting and reconnecting, eating and drinking, laughing and hugging these past few days that when we say goodbye knowing our next meeting would almost certainly be an entire year from now, it really is quite sad that we had to say goodbye.

So the Philly portion of our trip is over and now we travel to Washington D.C. and Alexandria to stay with another broad extension of my wife's family. We meet with her cousin and his new wife at the newly renovated American History Museum at the Mall sometime in the afternoon.

Check in with you later...and a HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!

Holidays with the In-Laws....

1. The Perfect Line has been kind enough to take care of the house and cats for the first few days of our yearly East Coast trip. Perfect all around considering the 24-Hour's of LeMons car is in a house ONE BLOCK AWAY. He and the rest of the "Huey Newis and the Loos" crew are working all hours and around the clock to get the car ready for it's first and ONLY shake-down run the night before the race. I drove by to check in on their progress last night and experienced incredible jealously in spite of all their labor and so envious of their opportunity to race! Next time, Next time for sure....

2. Packed for our trip....I got this packing thing down bitch!...and it's only taken 6 years to get to this point. Of course, cold weather destinations have a way of bulking up suitcases with thick clothing, but my goodness, every Christmas my wife and I CHECK an average of 100 LBS of luggage in 2 massive suitcases...basically, we're talking the limit here. We've committed ourselves to going smaller and subsequently have been super-mindful about every item we've packed into our bags. My wife picked up a new mid-sized luggage piece yesterday and it ROCKS. This thing has casters from an office chair and it quietly glides along with barely a push. Anywayz, we've dropped the total poundage down from two 50 lb. suitcases to two 32 lb. bags....success! We've even imagined doing away with checked luggage on our Christmas Trips!...but then reality sets in. Our Christmas Trips are two weeks long and our bags also carry Christmas gifts. We are invited to formal events as well as casual events, we bring hiking clothes as well as running clothes, dinner out wear and long drive attire, snow clothes and rain gear. There is no possible way we can bring it down to a Carry-On. In fact, I despise people whose only bags are Carry-Ons, I HATE THEM....I still have to break that emotional response down to its constituent components, but rest assured, I can't stand these people.

3. Chicago connection. Midway temp: 0 Degrees.

4. Philadelphia temp: A balmy 11 Degrees. Thanks to the GM for his expedition gloves. My pants are frozen.

Gotta go!....

Weekly Recap:

Sorry about not blogging. I realize now that not having a National Election took the wind out of my Blogging sails...but I'll try to come up with something today.

Put up the Christmas lights inside and outside the house.

Had the GoG over for dinner and gaming on Saturday. We had a great turnout: The Warden drove down from Sacto, the Acupuncturist returned from his Internship in China, The GM, NTT's Brain, the Prof., Rave-boy, Mighty-Mook, and theDiscourser all attended. I took them out to dinner at Burgermeister, an award winning burger joint in Alameda.



Then a short stint at the Hobnob, a cool gaming pub a couple of blocks down the street in downtown.



Then we returned to my pad for some gaming...or we tried to game.



With this very distractable group, it is hard pressed for any GM to get a solid 10 minutes of concentrated gaming in at one time. Here is how it usually goes:

GM: "Your party enters a narrow corridor, its walls hewn from stone, a near mirror surface. You exit into a large cavernous room and far into its dark interior, you see shimmering movement...your floodlights reflecting off a shiny carapace, your eyes steal a glimpse of some demonic terror."

Warden: "GET TO THE CHOPPER!!" (Arnold Voice)

Discourser: "If it bleeds, we can kill it." (Arnold Voice)

The Prof: "I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me Superman." (Homer Voice)

Rave-Boy: "My character looks at his reflection in the mirror like surface....and can I reverse the polarity on my pulse weapon so that I can blow it up like in Star Trek???...and is that a Diamond Gem on the wall?!...I pluck it out with my Officer's knife...and...and...."

NTT's Brain: ....(continues to play guitar, giggling).....

Supergoober: "GM! GM! Is Amanda Veshell preoccupied? Is her back turned toward me? In that case, I aim the Minaren Assault rifle at her head...very quietly"

The Warden: "KKKAAAHHHNNN!!!!!!" (Kirk Voice)

Mighty-Mook: (rolling dice)...."I now have 57 OCV bitch!"....stands up and flexes. (Jason Poines Voice)

The Warden: "My balls itch..."

The GM: "Oh yeah! Check out my new Benchmade! The blade Steel is CMP-M4" .....(oh Lord, even the GM has now succumbed)....

The Discourser: "What is the riddle of Steel!?" (Thulsa Doom Voice)

The Prof: "maximum solubility of carbon in iron (as austenite) is 2.14% by weight, occurring at 1149 °C; higher concentrations of carbon or lower temperatures will produce cementite...."..................

The Warden: "Contemplate this on the Tree of Woe!" (Thulsa Doom Voice)

The Discourser: ....(points his buttocks toward the Mighty Mook and grimaces)....

Supergoober: "Dude, what is wrong with your ass!"

The Warden: "That is but child's play."(Major Toht Voice)....and proceeds to rip one of his own, nearly collapsing from the effort....

The Prof: "I take his XP! I take his XP!"

The Accupunturist: ....looks away in disbelief and abject frustration....

And this is how it usually goes. Splinter conversations, endless distractions, Iphones, Laptops, WiFi, Cheese Puffs, and Beer all add up.

Anywayz, that's it for now.

The Problem with Homo-sexual Penguins:

Interesting story:

http://tinyurl.com/5qzlrq

The Evangelical Penguins are up in arms!

Thanksgiving Re-cap:

My parents swung by the Homestead, we packed the S4, then drove down to LA to spend our Thanksgiving with my sister and her family. Despite leaving on Wednesday in an attempt to avoid Holiday traffic, we were greeted with horrid bumper to bumper slogging to a tune of 28 miles in 151 minutes of driving. We crested Altamont Pass in a rain storm and finally hit Southbound I5 after three hours of driving. As usual, I took it personally when anyone attempted to outpace me so I was forced to keep an insane pace for the following 300 miles.

My mother prepared a cooler full of travelling food and I couldn't help but nosh on meatloaf and chips for SIX straight hours. We arrived LA late Wednesday evening and greeted my Sis, her husband, and the two girls with big smiles and hugs. We ended up chatting into the morning.

The next day, we attended Thanksgiving Dinner with my Brother-in-law's family. Damn, his sister-in-law can cook a mean dinner. She went all out following to a tee the most recent Williams and Sonoma Thanksgiving Dinner spread. It wasn't a surprise that I gorged beyond my gastro-intestinal limitations...as did my Father, who from this picture demonstrates exactly where I received this genetic disposition:



We succumbed to food coma in front of the HDTV at my In-law's In-laws (embarrassing) during the 1st quarter of the Dallas game and awoke during the 3rd quarter...at which time I staggered into the Dining Room to feed on some yummy dessert. My dad's belt was undone to accommodate his distended abdomen.

We had to get to bed early that night given we had to rise at 4 in the morning the next day to catch the Ferry to Catalina Island. The ferry ride out of Long Beach was a pleasure and the view into Avalon Harbor was gorgeous. Here are some shots.





Catalina Island is a bit larger than San Francisco, mostly uninhabited, has one large tourist town, and is quite a hit with campers, hikers, back-packers, and canoe'ers year round. We spent most of the day walking and hiking and eating at quaint little restaurants. That evening, my wife, my Brother-in-law, and my father and I hit the little strip for some imbibement. We spent a good part of the evening at a Karaoke joint on the beach...my wife SOO wanted to sing but very much wanted one of us to accompany her...we said "Hell NO" to that, but I promised her that the next time we hit a Karaoke bar, I'd be prepared to sing a song with her if we chose a song I felt I could sing well.

The next day, we rented a couple of golf carts and toured the rugged hills surrounding the town of Avalon. BTW, cars are an extreme rarity on Catalina Island. Everyone uses golf-carts, and believe me, I was in awe...I simply had no idea that one can modify golf-carts to the degree the locals modify these little bastards. Here is a shot of me taking the rental to the limits at one very tricky and precarious mountain road....hehehe. Just kidding.



And more shots of the scenery:




I would absolutely recommend a visit to Catalina Island. It is small enough that you can get the feel of the place and exhaust most of what the Island offers in two full days. If you decide to camp, I suppose you can make a good week out of it. I would certainly recommend that you trip during the hot summer months given the snorkeling looks fantastic!

Anywayz, the trip back home was mostly uneventful. We blasted through the portion of I5 from the Grapevine to Livermore at a 92 MPH average speed (not including gas and pee stops).

That's it for now.

"What Doesn't Kill the Far-Right Only Makes Them Crazier"

Its common to say that Political Campaign rhetoric has less to do with what that Candidate truly believes and more to do with what that Candidate WANTS you to believe...which leads me to the rhetoric I've heard from GOP campaigns as well as from extreme Right-wing pundits/talking heads.

Here are a couple of interesting articles:

http://tinyurl.com/5jag5s

http://tinyurl.com/5jgc2t

And a couple of pointed excerpts.

Intellectual violence. While not a new term, it perfectly defines what we're seeing now: accusations and smears that so severely confound logic they literally attack -- violate -- reality and the human intellect. It's like a berserk dervish of argumentative elbows and fists indiscriminately flailing around, thwacking anything in its orbit, so much so that constructing a counterpoint is literally painful, "Why the hell am I trying to debunk this?! Ow! My head".

The "Impeach Obama" Facebook groups, for example. No, I'm not making that up. They're real and there's a constant variety of disgruntled far-right Republicans joining up every day. And, to our total lack of surprise, they're not ashamed in the slightest to post comments like this one:

"Damn dems stole the election like they always do. GOD wanted McCain and Palin in the White House. That's why it's called THE WHITE HOUSE."

Shortly after discovering this, I was talking with a colleague and found myself instinctively trying to form a rational argument about why the Facebook members were wrong. It began with the obvious: "He's not even the president yet!" And then, after I segued into Article II and the constitutional grounds for impeachment, I stopped myself. What in name of Randall P. MacMurphy am I doing? Arguing against this crap is like explaining to a meth tweaker that the shadow people aren't real. That's when I decided that it'd be more fun to just infiltrate one of the groups and post comments like, "The moon landing was staged!" and, "Obama is a bionic -- just like his half-aunt! I have proof!"

Then on Monday, Michelle Malkin posted an item in which she referred to the president-elect as the "overlord-elect." And on Tuesday, Congressman Paul Broun told the AP, "You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany. I'm not comparing him to Adolf Hitler. What I'm saying is there is the potential." Uh-huh. On the scale of probability, "Obama is a fascist dictator" is about as likely as "Broun is a Jedi Master." But it doesn't matter. Reality is irrelevant.

And furthermore:

Who voted for McCain/Palin in bigger numbers than they even voted for Bush/Cheney? Only one shrinking group: uneducated white folks in the deep south and a few folks in Appalachia. Take away the white no-college-backwoods-and/or-southern McCain/Palin vote and the Republicans would have been approaching single digit electoral college oblivion.

The Republican Party is only a step away from becoming the fringe of the fringe, identified more with cross-burning weirdoes wearing hoods, folks like the Alaska secessionist party, all those gun owners stocking up on assault weapons before the "Socialist/United Nations/Obama/Muslim" conspiracy comes to fruition, than with anything remotely like a serious national political force.

The Republican Party--and I speak as a former lifelong Republican who, up through the 2000 primary campaign supported John McCain and even worked for him by arguing his case on various conservative and religious radio stations--is now the toy of the Rush Limbaugh windbags. These folks include outright crazies (such as Sarah Palin's Assemblies of God pals who are waiting for Spaceship Jesus to rescue them and/or rooting out "witches" from their midst), white racists and a few not-very-bright attention seekers, including Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity etc.

Read their blogs! Listen to their talk radio! You'll be in the twilight zone of front page tabloid fantasy on a par with Bat Boy Attacks! headlines. Bill Buckley roll over.

The Religious Right, the racists, the anti-gay hate-mongers are now not only marginalized but thoroughly out of step with even members of their own former constituency. For instance the Gordon College student newspaper (Gordon is an influential Evangelical College north of Boston) endorsed Obama this year. Many young evangelicals voted for the Democrats. James Dobson, Fox News, Limbaugh et al. were utterly powerless to do more than stir up hate. They are losing the next generation of their "base."

Meanwhile many former Republicans--like me--ran to Obama as fast as our legs could carry us and away from our willfully "we're not an elite" moronic former party. Republican commentators such as David Brooks and George Will mourned the loss of the Republican center. Others noted the Republicans have become anti-intellectual. "Anti-intellectual?" They wish! How about simply anti-literate?

I sometimes wonder if not Hope that most Conservatives were like my friend theProf. He is intelligent, fair-minded, and open to debate. But one thing is very clear: the GOP's Campaign rhetoric do NOT target folks like theProf. They target an entirely different demographic. I truly wonder if the Republican Intellectual Elite (theProf. included) feel as if they were left standing marooned by their own party; discarded and left without a voice. Does anyone within the GOP still speak to the CENTER? The far-right wing has soo closed ranks and begun calling out long-time reliable and loyal Republicans as "phony" and "fake RHINO's" that they've unwittingly diminished themselves when more than ever they need to reach out and expand their membership.

Anywayz, enough of that. This weekend, Randy "The Natural" Couture will be fighting Brock Lesnar in the biggest Mixed Martial Arts PPV in History. I'd like to see the "passing of the Torch" so I'm routing for Lesnar.

Later...

My Final Sarah Palin jab...

...and it came out of Fox News. Carl Cameron, FOX News reporter covering the McCain Campaign, reported some shocking revelations regarding McCain Campaign insiders and their views on Palin. Apparently they've (McCain advisers and FOX) waited till after the election and are now airing the dirty laundry, as it were. Cameron reports how utterly stunned campaign advisers were of Palin's outright idiocy...and how sequestering her from the media was the only sane choice for their Campaign...such was the depth of her ignorance of basic civics, basic geography, basic foreign policy, and basic knowledge of world events.

My goodness, she believes that Africa is a country and not a continent, and could not name all the countries in North America! It goes on and on but here is the story from Fox, courtesy of YouTube:

http://tinyurl.com/66undl

Just incredible. Its obvious that Republicans are looking for a fall-guy/gal and the McCain campaign advisers have served Palin up on a silver platter. This will backfire. Too too many within the Republican Base love this women and the finger-pointing will only serve to further fracture a Party in the throws of an identity-crisis. There are Conservative talking heads (Rush, Coulter, Hannity, etal.) who believe that the future path of the Party is to become even "More Conservative", or at least stay the course and remind Americans of core Republican principles. However, there are are growing number of new Republicans that see the writing on the wall, recognize that the Party must re-make itself in order to appeal to the contemporary electorate...a Re-Branding, if you will.

Either way, the Republicans have been decimated during this Election Cycle.
Executive Branch: Democrat
House: 254 Dem / 173 Rep
Senate: 57 Dem / 40 Rep with Minnesota Senate seat toss-up and recount.
Governors: 29 Dem / 21 Rep
And currently, the Republican Party is searching for a Leader...but who will it be? The leading ranking Republican in Washington is a guy named Mitch McConnell...who is he?! Boy, the Grand Ole Party is in deep trouble.

It was fascinating to hear Lou Dobbs (a fiscal conservative and certainly not an Obama supporter) talk candidly and with contempt about what he was hearing from within the McCain Campaign...and he went on to say "If how the McCain campaign has and is operating is any indication of how they would have ran the country, My Goodness, Thank God they didn't win."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Presidential Election Post-Mortem:

WOO-HOO!! I can't even express how thrilled, proud, and relieved I am with Obama's win. I was a part of history with my vote and rushed home to watch the action unfold across a dozen stations on my TV. His stirring speech was his best to date and the throngs of jubilant supporters not only across the Country, but across the Globe put into perspective the importance and significance of the Obama selection. I cannot be more proud of My Country today.

Some thoughts, and I'm sure I'll have more as the days progress:

1. The World responds: http://tinyurl.com/6dqjt6

2. Polling methodology has come so far that despite claims of the Bradley Effect, and cell-phone users, and Likely vs. Traditional voters, and small sample sizes, etc, CBS/Time/Gallup/Rasmussen dead hit the percentages not only Nationally, but within the States as well.

3. And regarding polling, the massive exit polling on a number of different issues shed light on what I had suspected. Self-described Liberals have run somewhere within 22 to 27 percent of the electorate. That number has been quite stable for some 6 Presidential Election cycles. Self-described Conservatives percentages have dropped, however. The conservative demographic has held strong at high 30's since the Reagan years and has far outnumbered liberals for quite some time. Over the last 8 years, that number has slid incrementally to the low 30's, which is significant considering each percentage point amounts to about 1.5 million voters.

So the question is, where are they going? Some pundits say they are actually and literally "dying out". But to more accurately answer the question, they've moved toward the Center. The self-described Independent and Centrist figure has jumped to above 40 percent for the first time in history. However, despite this movement toward the center, I still believe that the majority of the Country is Center-Right.

Conservative ideology has certainly not lost its relevance. Case in point: Obama's platform included traditional Conservative talking points...he would not have won without it.

4. And speaking of relevance, a startling statistic emerged last night. White Men have been the most powerful and telling electorate throughout our History. How White Men vote had assuredly determined the Presidency....until NOW. McCain had a strong majority of the White Male Vote and LOST. The pundits across the stations (including FOX) made mention of this phenomenon's historic importance.

5. I am convinced that Obama's true running mate this year was certainly NOT Biden...it was the economic collapse. The collapse won it for him. Its just amazing that the Primaries were dominated by rhetoric regarding Iraq, Afghanistan, and Immigrants!

6. And lastly......NO MORE SARAH PALIN. Thank you lord.

Attn: The Craftsman and NTT's Brain!

I'm throwing down the Gauntlet bitches! I swung by my local Safeway and picked up a big-ass Pumpkin (not to be confused with "Punkin", ahem, theDiscourser's wife). They're practically giving them away today. This one was on sale for only 2 bucks but weighed a good 40 pounds.



I cleaned out the innards and went to work on a sketch.



After some very careful cutting, the Pumpkin is ready for action.



And here is the finished product.



YEEAAHH! Okay, I know its super last minute and you guys probably won't even see this in time NOR have the energy to do any last minute Pumpkin carving (and especially with theCraftsman's very busy schedule), but what the hell...it took me 1 hour tops! I'm throwin down the Gauntlet simply because I have a pretty good feeling I'd get my ass kicked by some crazy shit you guys can come up with.

Anywayz, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

I'm running for government.

Hehe...that got your attention. But I really am running for office. I've submitted my name and intent to serve on the Board of my Home Owners Association. You have to understand how totally ridiculous this position is. The existing board members have served the board for years and are begging new home owners to replace them. I will be running un-opposed but must go through the whole rigamarole regarding ballots and voting. My letter of intent to serve delineated my "platform", which is pretty much based on "fiscal conservatism"....I can hear theProf. laughing out loud right now.

I'm attending my first meeting this Wednesday and will be "sworn in" on Nov. 17th, provided someone else doesn't come in and attempt to run against me...which won't happen BTW.

So for a quick weekend update:

Friday - Went to Ballanico Restaurant in Oakland with my wife. It was a bit pricey and I think you know how I feel about "portion size". Basically, if I'm dishing out more than 15 bucks per entree, the grub better be hellaciously yummy or a massive 4 person portion. As for Ballanico, the portions were decent but the food was uber yummy. Best Linguine Di Mare I've ever had, period. My wife's salad and ravioli was super tasty and even their bread was fantastic. Despite spending more than we're used to, we came away feeling we got what we paid for...I'm happy with that.

Saturday - Meet and greet with the existing Board members at an impromptu morning meeting. Discussed roles and duties and met the Board President's cat, which looked exactly like ours except with a slightly less puffy tail.

Went to a Chinese Red Egg and Ginger 1st Birthday Party at the Canton Restaurant in San Francisco. I Love All-you-can-eat buffets so I was pleased gorging myself with two plates of food. Good company as well.

Watched "The Incredible Hulk" which pretty much sucked except for when he Hulked out and destroyed everything in sight.

Picked up my brother-in-law in Moraga. He came up for the weekend to watch the Cal/UCLA game and attend a banquet honoring his buddy who was to be enrolled in the Cal Berkeley Football Hall of Fame. Afterwards, we went to dinner at Acapulco with my wife. My combination was soo huge, they had to separate it between two plates.

Stayed up pretty late chatting with my Brother-in-law and watching "The Exorcist" on cable. We were both raised Catholic and this movie pretty much destroyed our psyche at such a young age that viewing it even as adults traumatizes us...so we watched mixed martial arts until 1:30.

Sunday: Dropped off my brother-in-law at a coffee house in Alameda where his buddies picked him up to give him a ride back to So-Cal.

Ran the 4 mile route around our Island with my wife. She runs faster than me now. She had to slow her pace to get me to catch up. My ass and upper thighs are still totally destroyed.

Attended Fruitvale's Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festivities. Had a great time. The streets were totally packed and I bought a new hat as well as some street food.

Watched "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". Talk about not living up to the previous installments.

That's it for now....

Just one more thing...

"The Right’s Class War: The prospect of a McCain loss has the Republican Party angrily turning on itself. Can the eggheads and the Joe Six-Packs get along?"

From the New York Magazine, by John Heilemann. It describes, and in much better terms than I ever could, the current state of the Republican Party and where it might be heading or need to head. A great read....especially for theProf.

Here is the complete article:

http://nymag.com/news/politics/powergrid/51406/

Trust me....its a very good read.

I am an Anti-American Socialist....

...at least according to some Republicans.

I donated $28 to the Obama campaign, and this is the first time I've ever donated to a political campaign. All my co-workers have done the same, and for most, it was also they're first time. Even my family members and In-laws have donated to the Obama campaign. Apparently according to FOX News and the McCain campaign, we're part of a conspiratory scandal on-par with Watergate.

And because I'm voting for Obama, according to Palin, Bachman, Patrick, Wendell, as well as the usual conservative talk show cohort, I also hate America...and more so, am a Socialist. And just today I heard from Congressman Hayes that I also hate God and am a Communist. Palin said yesterday that she only wants to visit parts of the Country that are "Pro-America". When Congressman Bachman from Minnesota, a McCain surrogate, was asked what Palin had meant on Hardball, she called for a "penetrating investigation of all anti-American liberals in Congress" (youtube it). Democrats and Obama voters have now been transformed into America Hating Communist Atheists...and this is NOT divisive?

Yesterday, Hannity, Savage, and Limbaugh called General Powell a RACIST for endorsing Obama. The funny thing is, if Powell had run for President as a Republican this election cycle, I would have voted for him, as would many conservatives and Republicans. And to top everything off, the McCain campaign is suggesting that Obama is a member of a Muslim terrorist sleeper cell....and if that is not Fear-Mongering Demagoguery of the highest order, I don't know what is.

General Powell was spot on...he completely articulated EXACTLY how I think and feel, and you have to read the transcript. And I will now admit something that I haven't admitted before....drum roll....I voted for Bush in 2000. (GASP!) I truly fell for the "compassionate conservative" line, and I've been so disappointed with that vote. I soo want the Republicans to move toward the center, I soo want the reactionary extreme conservative demographic to take a back seat to modern centrist conservatives, I soo wanted McCain to have chosen Leiberman or Powell or even Dr. Rice...because if they did any of this, I would have voted for a Republican as President.

Here is my primary observation of the Republican Moral Imperative.

Regarding my work and politics, all of you know I'm in the business of authorizing services, treatment, and housing to the indigent homeless with the following issues: dually diagnosed (patients with psychiatric issues and addiction issues), hospice care (patients with psychiatric issues who are dying), skilled nursing needs (patients who are functionally disabled), developmental disability (patients with cognitive impairment), psychiatric disability (severe psychiatric diagnoses), Veterans with psychiatric disorders, battered women and their young children, and several other demographics I can't recall at this time. And TWO things are undeniable; we have a moral imperative to care for the disabled AND we are in dire need of more funding.

Funding streams for these services are varied: AB 3632, Medical, Medicare, Veterans Benefits, Prop. 36, Prop. 63, Short-Doyle, County General Funds, and of course the Feds. Ask me how well funded the lobbying effort (both State and National) is for the ethical treatment and housing for the mentally ill, or battered women, or geriatric suicide prevention, or housing for the disabled, or expanded skilled nursing programs, or an increase in funding to programs for the developmentally disabled? And ask me how every budget cycle represents a battle just to keep our heads above water. About how the Republicans in the State Senate return the State budget back to the Dems with demands to cut funding to EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE FUNDS. And how is this American? How is this noble? How is this moral? How is this even sane?

But then I get it. Republicans adopt a different moral theory; where battle against excessive taxing and big government trumps all other moral imperatives. They cynically diminish my efforts as "wasteful welfare hand-outs". HOWEVER, I will not and cannot imagine anyone, even the most far Right Conservative Republican, who would walk in my shoes for one week and judge the work that I do as "socialist".

But my question then is, what are the Republicans plans to deal with the population I work with? What is it? I had a debate with a colleague at work who believed that that Republicans forward a social Darwinist social policy...where its not about confining and killing them, its about standing back and letting them die...you can see why I had to debate this freak. But my question stands.

In education, the response from the Right has been to mitigate concerns and justify voting against any expansion (and in some State's cases, a contraction) of Education funding with a very simple as well as very true argument: Leaders of Industry (and even Presidents) can rise from broken homes and urban blight and underfunded schools provided they work hard. This is completely true...but the problem is that for every child who succeeds, 10 are murdered, 100's are incarcerated, 1000's turn to gangs and drugs, and 10's of thousands drop out.

I suppose this argument can be used in my line of work, where we point the finger at the parent or the family of the disabled patient. Why? Because there are plenty of successful, self-sufficient, and happy disabled people. But again the response is, for every one example, I can show you 10,000 in my city alone who struggle to stay alive daily, and many DIE daily.

I'm completely rambling now and the more I write, the more confused I am at the point I'm attempting, or had attempted, to make...in which case, this is my cue to end rant.

But one more thing. I suppose I'm preaching to the choir for the most part, save theProf. and a possible anonymous blog wanderer. I can almost always count on theProf to give me pause and perspective. But with regards to the work that I do, I'm not hopeful he can succeed. I represent the Big Government Handout and I'm not really sure whether Republicans can see it any other way.

The Craftsman and his family.

So I just read on "Am I a Funny Girl" (libismorgan.blogspot) that theCraftsman's wife is back on dialysis. Her newish kidney, being only 4 years old, failed. She had been in ICU for some time and was receiving subclavial perma-cath dialysis and will need 3X weekly visits to the clinic....and I'm pretty bummed about it all.

But with this quote from her blog you can see that her strength is simply amazing:

"To preemptively answer a couple of questions; yes, it's true... we had hoped the kidney from my mom would last longer than four years... it didn't. Yes, my (new) kidney failure was exacerbated by my pregnancy and pre-eclampsia. No, we don't regret doing the transplant when we did. Jamie and I got four amazing years... we bought our house and remodeled the kitchen, took roadtrips, got married, went to Europe and had a baby. Nope, I don't think I could ever say I regret getting the transplant when I did."

She now needs a new kidney and I suppose one of us can do without one if it can potentially save some one's life...so pass this around. You (and perhaps even I) can be a donor match.

Prayers and well wishes are on the way.

A couple of pics from Washington.

Totally awe-inspiring:



Here was the view from our suite; the Masonic Temple in Alexandria Virginia. Look at the massive Masonic Icon before its steps. Who the hell are these Free Masons? and what do they do? I mean look at this frickin building! We have a Masonic Temple in Alameda as well and I'll be posting a pic of that building when I get a chance. What crazy Illuminati shit goes on inside!?

Washington wedding and other tid-bits.

1. Flew out of Oakland and into Dulles via Jet Blue, the best in the business when it comes to cheaper airfares IMHO. "This is the 28th Airport I've visited in my life!", I told my wife while on the Washington DC subway. She looked at me and teasingly snickered, "Only 28 at your age?". I suppose theSupertechnician and thePerfectLine can count airports in the 60's for sure. Anywayz, Dulles is up there in terms ease of use, cleanliness, efficiency, and wow factor...right up there with Las Vegas, which is the best by far; at least in the US. SFO is at the bottom of the barrel. The International Terminal rocks but the Domestic terminal needs to be demolished.

2. Why I like Washington: When you wake up and open the Local portion of the paper here, it reads like the National portion of our papers at home. This place is soo politically alive and aware, the movers and shakers of government and industry live, work, and play here. And though it's my 10th visit to DC and Virginia, the National Mall never ceases to amaze and inspire me. Today I visited the Lincoln, the first time NOT in the bitter cold. Tourists from all over the world stare in wonder and I can't help but be moved every frickin time by the words inscribed therein. Also visited the Vietnam memorial. As I quietly walked through, it struck me; the power of this place. As most know, there on the black marble wall are names, and though you might not recognize anyone on that wall, ALL of our names are on it....I saw my last name, and theDiscourser's, and theCraftsman's, and thePerfectLine's, and even the GM's. I get it.

3. Alot of wedding related get-tether's. Hangin out with the in-laws. It's always fun, and the political landscape being the way it is, it's made for even more exciting conversation.

4. Palin: I can't believe where I am with her. My wife's aunt's house is always filled with a number of Newspapers and political publications from all over the country. I read in the New York Times about how she apologized to Obama about her RNC comments re. community organizers; that she never meant to hurt any one's feelings and mentioned that the quip was more a response to how the press had belittled her experience as small town mayor. In the Atlantic, I believe, she mentioned that her best friend is lesbian! and in her Couric interview, she mentioned that though personally Pro-Life, she was clear that she hoped that other woman "choose" life when confronted with a decision to keep or abort. Of course this certainly does not assuage all my concerns re. her reproductive rights policy stance, but I'm glad to hear that she believed in choice in, at least, certain cases. Lastly, something occurred to me while reading a Washington Post article re. Stockdale (Perot's VP Candidate) and how the press made a complete buffoon of him. I remember that debate very clearly and about how poorly he did. I also remember how this man was an American Hero, an imprisoned and tortured soldier, and staunch advocate for soo many veteran related causes...and the press made him out to be a demented has-been.

And here we are with Palin. She is being made an utter fool by not only the press and the anonymous masses in the blogshere ether, but by members within her own party. Yes, her vapidness is something that clearly has not been seen for quite some time in the political realm, and yes, her pride in her apparent ignorance, about how her folksiness is politically utilized, her insolence and mocking tone regarding folks who are soo much more significant (politically and historically) and intellectually superior (Sorry Prof., Kissenger is a frikin legend), and how I soo wanted the glass ceiling broken by a woman who is universally respected and undeniably competent (think Dr. Rice).

Now came her debate. I couldn't believe how much I wanted her NOT to make an utter idiot of herself...how I thought it would've been, not only an embarrassment to her, but to all Americans. The most important task set before her for the debate was to pull herself up from the mire of idiocy she had been squarely placed if not completely thrown into by the press and her fellow Americans....me included. And in at least this regard, she did succeed. It was hilarious watching FOX News; about how all the pundits appeared soo defiantly sure she would do fine before the Debate but then admitted afterwards that they were an absolute emotional wreck during. In any case, unless its someone I completely despise (think Pat Roberstson, Farrakhan, OJ Simpson, Al Davis), I can't find it in me to celebrate someones public humiliation...and it surprises me how Palin has wormed her way into my tin jaded heart...damn her and her small town charm!

As I've mentioned in comments in theProf.'s blog, like almost all previous VP Candidates, Palin has at best lifted herself from liability to irrelevance; at least with regard to garnering votes from the undecided.

5. Fantastic wedding in DuPont Circle. The reception afterwards was held at Carnegie Institute for Science. The weather was perfect and the company was awesome. More on T. Boone Picken's daughter, corporate lawyers, MD's, environmental and corporate lobbyists, University Professor's, Ivy League intellectual elites, and what McCain described as Georgetown conservative elites and their politics later.

That's it for now.....

The ONE state Obama should concentrate his campaign efforts.

Firstly, it appears as if Obama is carrying each and every state Kerry carried in 2004. To break it down, here are the states where Obama is ahead in the polls by nearly 20 points (and at times over 20). Mind you, much like some ardent Red States, these are states where the McCain Camp has made the strategic decision to NOT campaign within.

CA, DC, DE, HI, IL, MD, MA, NY, RI, VT = 146 electoral votes

Next are the states that Obama leads by nearly 15 points. Again, these are states that Dems have carried almost consistently for the last generation.

CT, ME, MN, NY, WA = 47 electoral votes

Next are states where Obama is leading by nearly 10 points. All these states, save MI, have voted Dem for the last 16 years.

MI, OR, PA, WI = 55

So far, that's 248 safely for Obama with battleground states yet to predict. Kerry and Gore carried 251 and 266 respectively. Lets assume McCain carries every state leaning in his direction by around 10 points or more as well...we're talking 200 electoral votes right there.

BATTLEGROUND STATES:

Here is a state by state breakdown; based on USA Today's Poll Headquarters website which base their numbers on polling results from dozens of polling sources all across the country.

OHIO: 48/47 near dead heat, lead McCain
FLORIDA: 47/47 dead heat
COLORADO: 49/48 near dead head, lead Obama
NEW MEXICO: 49/47 lead McCain
NEW HAMPSHIRE: 49/47 lead McCain
NEVADA: 49/46 lead McCain
VIRGINIA: 50/47 lead Obama
IOWA: 51/43 lead Obama

Given his +3 +8 pt. leads in Virginia and Iowa, respectively, lets give these states to Obama +13 +7 +248 = 268...only TWO electoral votes short. Reasoning being Democrats in Virginia are going crazy registering new Democratic Party voters at a rate of 5 to 1.

Despite McCain's narrow lead and the recent trend with the Democratic Party outpacing Republicans with regard to new voter registrations by a 3 to 1 margin within these states, lets give New Mexico, New Hampshire and Nevada to McCain +5 +4 +5 = 214 electoral votes.

And so it comes down to FLORIDA, COLORADO, and OHIO. The undecided voters in these states will determine the Presidency...the Bastards. Obama needs to carry only ONE OF THESE STATES to get over 270 for the win.

Florida has voted for the Bushs' but voted for Clinton in 1996. Ohio voted for Dubya both times, but Clinton both times. Colorado voted for Clinton in 1992, but Republican since. Obama's best bet is Colorado (9 electoral votes) where he is leading by only ONE point. It's his best bang for the buck in terms of campaign dollars and its all he needs to win. He can relinquish Florida and Ohio..."F" Ohio and their undecided "Look at Me!...Look at Me! I'm so effing politically important" constituents.

And that's the way I see it.

I can't say it any better than Kathleen Parker...(from National Review)

http://tinyurl.com/4b7fs8

Great article from a Palin supporter.

Just some highlights of the article:

"No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted.

Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there’s not much content there. Here’s but one example of many from her interview with Hannity: “Well, there is a danger in allowing some obsessive partisanship to get into the issue that we’re talking about today. And that’s something that John McCain, too, his track record, proving that he can work both sides of the aisle, he can surpass the partisanship that must be surpassed to deal with an issue like this.”

When Couric pointed to polls showing that the financial crisis had boosted Obama’s numbers, Palin blustered wordily: “I’m not looking at poll numbers. What I think Americans at the end of the day are going to be able to go back and look at track records and see who’s more apt to be talking about solutions and wishing for and hoping for solutions for some opportunity to change, and who’s actually done it?”

If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself."

....that stings....

Katie Couric's interview with Sarah Palin.

OH...MY...GOD. Don't take my word for it,...you have to see it to believe it.

I've come full circle with Palin. I've went from being demoralized, to being fearful, to being cynical...and finally, being ashamed. I actually feel sorry for her. The interview was nearly, NO, completely embarrassing, and I can't fathom ANYONE with any semblance of respect for the Presidency, our Executive Branch, our Nation's history, or FOR THEIR OWN INTELLIGENCE that would see her performance as anything other than pitiful. It was hard to even watch...but I continued anyway, examining and assessing her delivery, fund of knowledge, and articulation and was in near disbelief at what I was hearing. Democrats aside, I don't know how any self-respecting Republican can see that interview and say "Wow, she really knows what she's talking about. She seems to really be in command of the issues."

It was soo horrendously bad that even FOX News couldn't spin it positively especially considering Couric was nothing but respectful throughout. I believe the Right-wing talking head political strategist and conservative radio hosts will counter by focusing on the left's hatred for Palin and her values...it's their best bet and only play at this point.

Granted, I've heard some Obama interviews that were less than spectacular, where he'd pause and stutter with his responses. But I've also watched THREE Primary debates, TWO open forums with McCain, about SIX press conferences, and FOUR unscripted interviews including O'Rielly's, and make no mistake, he has been great more times than not and has been even brilliantly compelling at others. But what we're talking about here is NOT a difference in degree, but in order of magnitude.

Let me step back just a bit.

I work in a career where I talk all the time. Furthermore, I must be compelling in my arguments regarding my decisions about whether to grant or deny a client a service. I hear pitches from advocates EVERYDAY and, with regards to my denials, I must display compassion, credibility, expertise, intelligence, and be quick to counter any possible retorts, and all with respectfulness and a sense of common concern (I'm sure theDiscourser does this crap all day as well).

The thing is, I KNOW BULLSHIT. I know when I'm not being convincing, when I'm not in my comfort zone, when I'm lost in my words, when I can't finish and begin to ramble, when I flail about trying to express an idea, when I am presented with questions I can't answer with any authority. Basically, I know when I'm in over my head...and Palin was in worse shape than that. I have a pretty good feeling that I (and I'm not even a Republican!), without even any campaign talking point preparation, could have given better answers re. national security and foreign policy as it relates to her state's geographic positioning.

It was at this point where I started feeling for her as a person, about how much of her Party's hopes must weigh on her, to have that expectation placed upon you....about how uncomfortable she must be feeling, with the eyes of the Country on her, being pelted with questions she'd never even thought about hearing or answering up until a month ago. And unlike Bush, who is battle tested and maniacally fervent in the strength of his beliefs (which somewhat makes up for his lack of articulation), Palin struggled to appear confident when caught again and again and again with questions she knew she could not answer in a way that was compelling even to her. At several points she came back to campaign mantras which politicians do at times when they feel a bit lost. But she did it so often, it came across less about "I'm not going to answer that because it's not a valid question" to more about "I'm not going to answer that because I have no clue how to answer". There was one painful point when she floundered tongue-tied and Couric had to step in and right the ship, so to speak...talk about kid gloves, Couric looked like she wanted to hug Palin afterwards.

I'm actually angry with the McCain campaign for not having properly prepared her, but I now realize why she's been sequestered from the Press. I don't know how this can be spun. I can't imagine her in a press conference with 100 journalists peppering her with questions and the campaign coming away from that experience with a "WIN", unless you can spin "PITY".

Just to give some contrast, as much as I can't stand G. Bubya, I've listened to many MANY of his morning White House press conferences over the years on KCBS on my morning commute, and he has surprised me from time to time with how he's been able to quickly fashion viable arguments on the fly (however dyslexic the syntax and questionable the information his arguments are based on). And however wrong he has been, he is compelling in his confidence and can weave an argument by supplying and displaying a fund of knowledge and a mastery of the issues. But Palin makes Dubya look like frickin Aristotle.

One last thing. Mark this date...it is Friday morning, 9/26/08, and I have a prediction regarding the Republican campaign. We know that McCain is a gambling man, prone to big and bold moves in his career and his campaign (think his choice of VP, shortening the RNC, canceling the debate, etc.). I can't see how he thinks he can win with Palin at this point. Though she's rallied the base and raised a helluva lot of money, she become a liability...but there is a way out for him. I predict that Palin will bow out of the campaign for personal reasons, citing family concerns. It will be believable and the base will be compassionate while the Republican power brokers can breath a sigh of relief and bring in someone credible. Probably Huckabee 1st, Romney 2nd, and Lieberman 3rd. I'm completely serious with this one. The polls are CRAP for McCain and with the debates ahead, I can't see how he sees it going well for him.

Tell me what you think.

I have my car back!

After 2 weeks without my car, I finally picked it up this morning! Just getting to my mechanic's shop was an ordeal BTW. My wife dropped me off at the corner where I jumped on the AC-Transit 50 Westbound at 7:15 AM...the bus was packed with Alameda High students. Got off at Fruitvale BART and jumped on the Daly City/SF line at 7:52. Again, it was packed to the gills with commuters and I had to stand until Embarcadero. Arrived at Daly City at 8:35 and jumped on the Millbrae BART at 8:42. I was the only one disembarking at Millbrae at 8:56. Hurried on over to CalTrain and jumped onto the Southbound train at 9:01, fell asleep, and again, I was the last one off at the end of the line, Tamien, at 10:15. Now for the 2 mile walk to my mechanic's shop which wasn't as bad as I expected...I've almost fully recovered from my cold and the sky was slightly overcast. I arrived at my shop at 11 O'clock, three hours and forty-five minutes after hopping on a bus at Alameda.

My car was sitting there looking gorgeous and clean. My mechanic said that it was in tip-top condition, crazy solid and crazy fast. For the first time since I blew my old little turbos almost a year ago has the car driven this smoothly...and what a saga to get to this point. Weekend after weekend, month after month, part after part, and finally the car is working as it should.

Merging onto 101 North, I immediately realized how broken my car had been. The motor is quiet (except for the outrageous exhaust) with not one little hiccup, no boost lag, no throttle cut, no bogging, no throttle bucking, no boost spiking, and no boost fluttering...all symptoms I had once had over the past year. I slowly rolled on the throttle and the boost needle held perfectly at 21 PSI and tapered nicely to 18 PSI...my entire body pressed into my seat back. I can't even tell you how happy I am.

ThePerfectLine called me to tell me to park my car in my garage, hermetically seal it in saran-wrap, and sell the beast ASAP...and I agree. But my goodness, I've never driven the car EVER in this condition and it is intoxicating. I almost want to keep it for a couple extra months just to enjoy my massive outlay of cash...but then reason kicks in.

I'll be putting it up for sale in November and she'll have a new home by December. And I'll have to make sure the new owner realizes how much effort and sacrifice I've put into her over the past several years.

As for my next car, I'll tell you this, I won't be driving her as much. I'll be taking public transportation as much as I can in order to keep miles of the odometer and save a bit of money to boot. And I'll keep her as close to stock as I possibly can...particularly with regard to the motor.

Anywayz, I'm off to lunch.

Still sick at home.

It was hot in Alameda last night, but despite the heat, I shivered under the covers. Before I put out the light, I took my temp....101.1. I hate fevers and the way it makes me feel like I have gauze wrapped around my head. I'm dizzy....but I've been eating everything in sight. Yesterday, I had 3 bowls of cereal, a large can of Chili, a large bowl of Japanese noodles with egg, half a Pizza, a good sized sandwich, half a box of chocolate chip cookies, and several glasses of juice and milk...and I still feel completely empty. If I wasn't so sick and sapped of my energy, I'd be making a huge meal for myself...think 8 cups of rice and 2 cans of Spam...mmmmmm.

Before settling down last night, I blasted my nose with nasal-spray, took 4 Ibuprofen, swigged a Nightime Anti-cough concoction, and blew my nose until I saw blood...okay, not that hard, but I got every bit out. I also changed my out-going messages at work and it apparently did the job...no-one called me on my cell all day.

This morning, I woke at 10:30, took my temp, 100.1, headed downstairs dizzy and ate more food. I smell given I've been sweating for 36 hours straight, haven't changed out of my heavy clothing, and haven't showered. I should bath before my wife gets home BTW.

Watched "The Day the Earth Stood Still" from start to finish on A&E...great movie. But I have to say, there are some completely silly parts to that film where my mind had to try very hard to look past in order to make the movie work...which it does. Firstly, during the evenings, they have TWO and ONLY TWO armed guards protecting the landing site, but during the day, they show Tanks and Howitzers at the ready with teams of soldiers milling about. I guess they believe that Alien invaders need sleep too. Also, how the HELL does GORT manage to walk across town UNSEEN to pick up "Carpenter/Klatu's" body from the Police Station...HOW, I ASK YOU?! Otherwise, this movie is awesome. I'm looking forward to the remake this year.

Also been keeping a close watch on the Theater that is the Presidential Election. Sometime around 1:30 PST, McCain made an announcement that he is calling off Friday's debate with Obama given the economic crisis the nation is experiencing. He wants to cancel the debate because "There is work to be done by both sides of the aisle" and that the both of them should "STOP THEIR CAMPAIGN", head back to Washington and work with Congress to get Bush's plan passed ASAP. Great politics....initially....a cynical move ultimately. Obama came right back and gave some contrast basically saying "we can walk and chew gum at the same time, can't we?" and that this is the time when Americans NEED to see the differences between the candidates and their future plans...so he called off McCain's "Call-off". The press is loving every minute of this show, and I'm cynical enough about the Media to believe that it is in their best interest to keep this race tight till the end.

I'm hungry again and will eat more food now.

I'm sick and at home today.

1. I've come down with Ebolized Whooping cough. Could not go to work today. The thought of having to walk to the bus and take Bart to work kept me in my bed this morning. I got up at around 10:30, had a bowl of cereal, and watched an hour of "the Most Deadly" on Animal Planet. Apparently, you don't want to accidentally step on a Stone Fish.

2. Got a call from my mechanic, and I braced myself for the damage. I've been catastrophizing and ruminating about all sorts of expensive scenarios. Luckily, I came away nearly unscathed. Turns out it was just a wastegate line from the N75 valve, which means the motor did not need to be pulled!...thank you Lord. I'm picking up the car tomorrow. My mechanic says the car is running perfectly...but the question for me is always: How long is that going to last? So I'm continuing with my plans to have it sold by November. The next owner will have a one hell of a crazy fast car.

3. Re. the Large Hadron Collider, I talked with theProf. on the phone. I've always thought that the Universe and the Big-Bang could be represented with an equation...I was wrong. Though theProf. admits he's no expert, he reminded me that equations simply represent ideas; nothing more and nothing less. My brain no longer hurts thinking about it.

4. Shopping around for new cars. I've narrowed it down to the following: 06' or 07' Subaru STI (RA or Spec-C spec mod. equivalent), EVOLUTION 8 or 9 GSR (Modified Street time-attack spec), or E46 M3 (bone-stock).

5. I'm crawling into bed now....

Higgs Boson and the Large Hadron Supercollider

Preface: I am totally talking out my ass. I barely passed Trig and had a difficult time with Stats in college so I barely have a clue as to the what the F#$% the LHC even does or will attempt to prove. This is a response to theProf.'s post re. Higgs Boson:

http://ifbrevityiswitthenwhydoikeep.blogspot.com/

Prof, yes you could have killed and eaten your cousins but then again, that's a near improbability...bear with me...I'm an idiot. I need some help with the concepts. So, I'm assuming you're in your library in your home right now. Make sure the cats are out of the room, close the sliding door, sit on your swivel chair, grab the half empty Diet Coke (TM) next to your mouse, raise it above the floor, and release. In this event, there are infinite probabilities of what might occur, but there is a near 100% probability of its outcome...that the can will fall onto your hardwood flooring. Of course, with infinite probabilities, a 727 could, a millisecond before the can strikes the surface of your hardwood, crash into your house disintegrating the can, you, and your hardwood flooring. Or the Sun could go Nova, or a tunneling black hole can swallow up Pacifica, or a lightning bolt can fall out of the sky, obliterating the can and your library. Or my favorite, extra-terrestrial invaders from System 3578 could target your Diet Coke Can as their first initial strike in their plans for World Domination...hey, why not?...there are infinite probabilities. ANYTHING could happen, however improbable.

I sorta understand that however improbable, however remote the outlier out 1 Trillion standard deviations, that THAT outcome is represented infinitely along a ray. But here is my question. There are certain events that are assured, where there are no other possible outcomes...ex. 2+2=4. Is then the Universe's ultimate equation Zero=Infinity? If the strong force and the weak force, gravity, and electromagnetic force a certainty with ZERO deviations in probability, then does the LHC replicate conditions within the Big-Bang? Are they attempting to simulate that 1 trillionth standard deviation as it relates to sub-atomic particles? Is then the Big-Bang an event with only ONE possible outcome from a particle physics perspective?

I'm confusing myself as I'm writing. I can't conceive of infinite Universes representing infinite outcomes to infinite events. But the question I have is regarding the word "Probable"...infinite "Probable" events. All outcomes must at least be probable according to the laws of physics. The can can't simply turn into an elephant...its a can, no more, no less. Now how does that relationship apply to sub-atomic particles? What exactily are they trying to do with the LHC?

Why I need to know this?...I don't know.

"Hi Carly Fiorina foot, say hello to Carly Fiorina's mouth".

Carly Finorina, former CEO of HP and most recently a senior economic advisor for the McCain campaign, was demoted from her once lofty position as lead spokeswoman for McCain's Straight Talk Express yesterday. Why?...because the left-wing-media took her words out of context? or presented misleading snippets that depicted a false portrayal? No, the left-wing-media didn't fire her...the McCain Campaign fired her.

Appearing on a KTRS Radio show in St. Louis, Fiorina was asked by the host re. Palin, "Do you think she has the experience to run a major company like Hewlett Packard?" Fiorina responded, "No I don't,...but that's not what she's running for. Running a corporation is a different set of things." That's a great answer, a really good answer, straight talk kinda answer, and revealed Fiorina's true feelings.

You see, Fiorina has a hell of a resume. She attended Stanford, UCLA School of Law, University of Maryland (my wife's Alma Matter), and MIT Sloan School. She ran Lucent Technologies and was ranked #1 most powerful woman in business by Fortune in 1998, and ran Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005. She has been a staunch supporter and chief economic advisor to the McCain campaign since early 2008. She is, to use the California colloquialism, "hella" smart.

And she spoke the truth.

Now lets step back. When the networks got wind of this, they jumped on it like a pack of hyenas on a caribou carcass on the open plains of the Serengeti (I'm channelling theDiscourser right there) and scrambled to get an on-camera elaboration...and they did. Later that day, she appeared on NBC with Andrea Mitchell and everyone expected her to take back what she had said, claim that her depiction was taken out of context, tell the nation that she has the utmost respect for Palin's intellect and is coming on NBC to let everyone know this.

What happened was stunning. She not only did NOT take it back, but said that McCain couldn't run a company either, and that none of the candidates can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnBXXssj0KY

Another truthful answer, but it was a terrible answer from a political perspective. I honestly believe that if you were a friend of Carly's, hangin out having a beer or cup of coffee with her, away from any cameras or recording devices, she would tell you EXACTLY what she told the press...and I'm sure in a much less diplomatic way. She gave a straight answer.

Fiorina is imminently more qualified than Palin and I can tell you honestly that if Fiorina was chosen, I certainly would not have the same kind of revolting response as I've had with Palin's pick.

Anywayz, I'm currently reading, courtesy of theProf., "South Park Conservatives: The Revolt Against Liberal Media Bias". Good book actually, an "indictment" (too strong a word really) on media bias. My issue is in regards to conservative radio. Right-wing talk shows dominate radio talk show programming across the country: 1000+ affiliates to some 65. As the book demonstrates, this phenomenon is a "revolt" against mainstream media sources. But "revolt" aside, we're still talking 100 million listeners a week...Rush has 14 million just by himself. Not to claim that this tips the scale but nevertheless, Right wing media exists, flourishes, and impacts public perception.

I want to leave you with one more item regarding Right Wing Perception:

"* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're 'exotic, different.
* Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barrack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.
* If you're husband is nicknamed 'First Dude', with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

You are The Boss... which team would you hire?

With America facing historic debt, 2 wars, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc.

Educational Background:
*Obama:*
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

*& Biden:*
University of Delaware - B.A. in history and B.A. in political science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

*McCain:*
United States Naval Academy - Class rank *894* of 899

*& Palin*:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism

Now, which team are you going to hire ?

Ouch!

My legs are destroyed.

Sunday 11:00 AM: jogged (Gallaway training method) a 4 mile route around southern Bay Farm Island with my wife.

Sunday 12:30 PM: Stretched lower body.

Sunday 5:00 PM: biked 4 miles to 24-Hour Fitness on a borrowed bike from theAcupunturist. The seat is hard as a rock and after a mile my ass was in so much pain that I could no longer sit on the seat. My legs are on fire and my quads felt like they were going to burst through my skin...yucky feeling.

Sunday 5:30 PM: circuit weight trained. 22 circuit sets to complete muscular failure.

Sunday 6:15 PM: stretched upper body.

Sunday 6:30 PM: got on theAcupunturist's bike and pedaled 2 miles when I realized that the rear tire was flat. Walked the remaining 2 miles. My legs are quivering and numb.

Sunday 11:30 PM: I fell asleep within minutes.

Monday 8:10 AM: I'm running late and had to jog 1.7 miles to the Harbor Bay Ferry Building in slacks and dress shoes. My feet hurt and I am soaked in sweat but arrive at the terminal in 16 minutes flat and was the last one on...so much for my shower. My legs are twitching uncontrollably.

Monday 4:35 PM: I will be taking Bart then the Ferry and will slowly walk the 1.7 miles home. Walking stairs is agonizing. I think I need crutches, or maybe a rolling walker at this point.

Political ranting has become unhealthy for me...so I'm stopping.

Its as if a fire has been lit underneath me in the wake of Sarah Palin's choice as VP by McCain. I can seriously go on and on and on AND ON about her, but I've told myself to stop because its become psychologically unhealthy for me.

Let me explain: I look forward to those quiet moments during my commute or those several minutes after I say goodnight to my wife where my mind is free to roam and indulge in day-dream fantasies about cars, driving, reminiscing about the past, gaming, sci-fi, how I'd spend a billion dollars, sports, Ruy Lopez chess openings, movies, books, characters, world domination, extra-terrestrial invasion, post-apocalyptic scenarios, etc.etc. This down time has always done the trick in terms of diverting my attention away from more serious day to day issues related to work duties, finances, relationships and so on. Unfortunately, this past week, my down time has been utterly dominated with ruminating about the horrific prospect of Palin becoming our VP or worse, our President.

I've imagined a nation where Sex Education is removed from any conversation in school between teacher/expert and student...where courses are shut down and experts told they aren't needed. I've imagined a nation where our leaders characterize the only morally acceptable conversation between parent and child regarding teen sex as "We expect you to abstain from sex......."....silence....THE END. I've imagined a nation where ALL children are taught Creationism as a scientific theory in their science courses. I've imagined a nation where International Diplomacy is completely eschewed and where our Allies are ignored. I've imagined a nation where gay people and immigrants are openly targeted as villains. I've imagined a nation where the medically and psychiatrically disabled are treated as fiscal burdens. I've imagined a nation where books are banned because it had offended a "small-town" person's moral sensibilities. I've imagined a McCarthiest nation where rampant paranoia of all outsiders and non-conformists are encouraged. But then I realize I'm in that physiological space in those few minutes before you sleep where reason loses grip and the unconscious begins to take hold. This Pre-Sleep state leaves one highly suggestable, where logic becomes vulnerable.

The reasons my pre-sleep day-dream fantasies are soo enjoyable are the same reasons I readily catastrophize post Palin America scenarios. I have to remind myself that the checks and balances built into our government by our wise Founding Fathers would NEVER EVER EVER EVER allow anything close to my fantasies from ever happening. I can now say that reason and logic has won out. Last night I dreamt about a Lord of the Sith commandeering the Enterprise and how utterly cool that story might play out.

I'm back to being my completely nerdy geeky self. However, make no mistake, I still think Palin is an Evangelical nut-job with God mandated and inspired plans to mold and prepare our Nation for the "End of Days". But even if she is, it simply doesn't bother me as much, and even better....I'm no longer losing any sleep over it.

More on Sarah Palin...please, someone stop me!

I can't seem to get enough of this woman! I've tried to take on a more diplomatic stance on most issues political (as theProf. has mentioned) but her speech has pressed one to many buttons. Just two more things:

1. Palin's political platform, her calling card if you will, has been her staunch opposition for teen sex education and support of an "abstinence only" policy. She slashed state funding for teen moms in Alaska.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/02/palin_slashed_funding_to_help.html

Meanwhile her daughter gets pregnant at 16. And Christian Conservatives rally around and call her a beacon and an example of Christian family values? To be fair, she's only 6 months pregnant and we have to wait and see how her personal values and political policy evolve in light of her daughter's pregnancy...then again, its really none of my business. However, I'd need to seriously reconsider my poor judgement of her as a politician if by chance she were to change her stance...but I doubt she has the Wisdom to recognize the opportunity to look past her Evangelical mindset to do WHAT IS RIGHT for soo many less fortunate young mothers who, JUST LIKE HER DAUGHTER, got pregnant at too young an age. Note: I serve low income mothers as part of my job...so I should say that it IS MY BUSINESS if the White House were to champion this cause.

2. She has a special needs child. I commend and applaud her for keeping the child (to me, there was no other choice to make in the matter) and adhering and living up to her Pro-Life principles and values. I work EVERYDAY with people with developmental disabilities and psychiatric illnesses. Its my job to find them housing when their parents, who had cared for them their entire lives, pass-away. I know about the lifetime of challenges these parents and care-givers confront everyday. My problem is how she can say:

"To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."

but had slashed funding for special needs kids by 62% in her State of Alaska:

http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/07_OMB/budget/EED/comp2735.pdf

Is this typical "Compassionate Conservative" lip service without the concomitant policy to back up the rhetoric? I hope I'm wrong, but this is what I'm used to seeing.

Just one local and personal example...in California, Prop. 63 (funding to provide care and emergency housing to the near 60,000 indigent, homeless and mentally disabled) was blocked by the Republicans in our State Congress for nearly 18 months. I wonder what kind of world the extreme right-wing want to design? I hope theProf. can give me some hope (he usually provides a little perspective), but in my line of work, serving the silent mass of disabled, its a constant battle to get anything in the way of services to people who have NOTHING...no money, no family, no resources of any kind, no purpose in life, and no sanity. We can debate what part politics on either side had to play in getting to this mess but the problem remains and must be dealt with.

Just one more thing. Found a Blog that I find absolutely hilarious...granted it is wholly much to cynical to be taken seriously. Here is an excerp and the link:

Oh America. You sad, stupid, spoiled bitch. You wasted gilded heifer marching on the killing floor with a bible up your ass and a twinkle in you somniferent eye. You stupid stupid nation. Look how far afield psychoworld you’ve taken us. The Sarah Palin VP pick has really put something into horrifying perspective for me. This is how America got here. We were led by Morons and Hypocrites — Neither of which could have gotten this far without the other. In fact, they are the two major governing factions of our country. They do not align left or right, top or bottom, forward or backward. They simply align according to the Moron National Party and the Hypocrite National Party. They are the governing faction.

The Hypocrites (HNP) would be nowhere without the support of the Morons (MNP). For example, whenever the rest of the nation, regardless of IQ, occasionally awakes and questions the absurd american tax policy. The HNP is threatened. They will immediately reach out to the MNP and clearly show that

a)Absurd Tax Policies Keep Abortions from happening

b)Absurd Tax Policies Keep Illegals from Entering The Country

c)Absurd Tax Policies Keep Your Family Safe

d)Jesus Loves the Absurd Tax Policies, shouldn't you?

So off they scamper, hand in hand leading our nation: The Uber-Wealthy and the Uber-Stupid.

http://revmanny.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/morons-and-hypocrites-sarah-palin-in-the-land-of-duh/

Just watched Sarah Palin's speech at the RNC.

...boy, I think the Dems are in trouble. Okay, not to get too carried away here; the bar was set quite low and she did deliver one hell of a speech. It was great theater at best, demonstrated a high level of stagecraft, didn't pretend to be anything she wasn't, and certainly we can thank a GW Bush campaign speech writer, Matthew Scully as much as we can the orator.

But I say it again less facetiously...the Dems are in trouble. During the last two presidential campaigns, it can be said that the Republicans ran better campaigns...and conversely, the Dems made blunders. I believe, and I hope I'm wrong, that the Biden and Palin choices speak again to the legacy of missteps on the part of the Dems and of shrewd political manueverings on the part of the Repubs.

But what happened last night at the RNC with Palin was clear: Palin solidified the Conservative base, unified the Party, and set the political cross-hairs squarely in the battle-ground states.

I can't say it better then the following talking heads so here is a recap of last night's post Palin speech comments, paraphrased unless quoted:

- Rudy Julliani: Without Hillary, the Obama camp have relinquished all to important electoral demographics; small-town America, women voters, as well as Midwest battleground states. Palin has placed herself squarely into these niches. She is the "Cultural Contrast" to Barrack and Michelle.

- Karl Rove: "McCain has found his attack dog." She came out swinging and made no apologies for being a small town hockey mom. And she can stab you deeply with a barb and smile at you while she's doing it.

- Paul Begalla: Palin is a "Cultural Warrior". She represents every-woman, and her family represents every middle American family. Her story resonates with alot of Americans and whether she is liked by liberals or the media is irrelevant. Want counts is that she is liked by conservatives.

- Alex Castellas: She appeals to populist America, small-town America, and Reagan Democrats. She represents a value system that still exists and exists quite strongly among and within a large part of this country.

- Wolf Blitzer: While the Dems have yet to fully consolidate and made little headway in uniting their party, the Republicans in contrast had much less drama during their Primary, united their party with less fanfare, and with Palin's choice is reaching far and deeply into the void left by Hillary Clinton.

- Me, theSupergoober: The task set before her was to solidify the evangelical conservative base in rural red-states. And with those voters, she hit a home run. What she so miserably failed at accomplishing, given her smug and insolent sarcasm, was to establish ANY credibility with ANY part of America that does not include "small-town folk". Her utter lack of humility combined with an attitude re. politics that displays a belief that she simply has nothing more to learn with regard to the Presidency and the people in the United States speaks directly to her arrogance and abject naivety to which she proudly wears like a frikin badge of honor.

The most offensive part of her speech was how she attempted to discredit Obama supporters by minimizing their experience, as if they were merely lulled by his candor and eloquence. She tells us not to be fooled, and essentially urges us to STOP LISTENING to him....Hmmm....interesting. Stop listening....like she tells people in her state of Alaska to STOP LISTENING to the experts on global warming and listen instead to the canned studies put forth by the oil industries. Or when she tells the school children in her State of Alaska to STOP LISTENING to sex education because it promotes promiscuity and by no means protect children against acquiring STD's or attempt to stem the tide of unwanted pregnancies and increasing rates of abortion. Or when she tells the parents to have their children to STOP LISTENING and opt out of courses and books that run counter to their creationism beliefs. Or when she tells us to STOP LISTENING to our allies and the majority of her fellow Americans when they say that all attempts at Diplomacy must be exhausted before we carpet bomb. Or when she tells her small town to STOP LISTENING and demands that the library remove books that she finds offensive.

Palin is not the New Maverick as was touted by McCain. No, she's an old school Conservative Republican and of a particular type that I simply can't stand. Obama should have a field day with her. Her rhetoric is precisely the type that he can't stand for in politics. Palin was chosen to "divide" but I believe our Country is better than the one she envisions. I truly hope more Americans than not see through her and the Republican campaign's line of bullshit because Palin is precisely what we do NOT need anymore in American politics.

The Presidential Race so far....IMHO

Regarding Obama's choice of running mate:

Obama's choice of Biden as his running mate attempts to shore up areas of definciencies in his political resume, namely Beltway experience and foreign policy. Also, on the face of it, Biden appeals to the Democratic base. The choice explicitly attempts to counter the Republican campaign's attack on his lack of political credibility given his junior congressional status.

The negatives, unfortunately, outweigh the positive.

1. The Obama campaign has failed to address a schism in the Democratic party, namely the near 19 million primary votes for Hillary Clinton. Biden had a mere 9000 by comparison.

2. NOT choosing Hillary speaks to three errors in judgement. Firstly, it appears as if Obama has erroneously assessed the vehemence and conviction within Clinton supporters. Secondly, Obama has revealed a bit of naivety regarding the Democratic Party's capacity to unify despite the long and contentious primary battle. And thirdly, it is within those demographics that Hillary did well within that Obama has failed to respond to with his choice of Biden. Hillary grabbed the women's vote, the Hispanic vote, the rural vote, the Midwest and Red State votes, and the blue-collar vote. Bidens choice does little to appeal to these electoral demographics.

3. Implicit within Obama's choice is a near arrogance in his ability to sway voters within electoral demographics in which he has done poorly...even within his own party. If he couldn't sway the rural, Hispanic, female, blue-collar Democratic vote in the primaries, what makes him think he can pull these same votes AS WELL AS the Republican voters within these same electoral areas in a national election.

4. Also implicit in his choice is an alignment and a validation of the Kennedy legacy paired with a silent contempt for the Clinton's. I know "contempt" is a strong word but I can't think of a better word that fits the situation.

Then again, winning the Presidency at all costs is not in Obama's political playbook. Choosing Hillary would have been an easier path to the White House, but I truly believe he couldn't bring himself to choosing a running mate whose political vision is soo counter to his own. I like Obama and support him so I'm giving him alot of leeway on his choice of running mate.

Regarding McCain's choice of Palin as his running mate.

On the face of it, the political motivation for this choice appears transparent.

1. Democratic primary exit polls suggest that the Gender issue is one not to be eschewed. The "Puma Vote" (man, I hate using this term but pundits are actually throwing it around the various network political situation rooms!) is a demographic that cannot be denied in this election cycle. A full 20 percent of Hillary voters (depending on the poll) voted for Hillary for ONE REASON; she is a WOMAN...now THAT is a powerful political point to exploit.

2. Palin is a true-blue Christian Conservative. The conservative base within the Republican Party have been a bit disenchanted with McCain, but Palin's choice has quickly galvanized this voting group. Christian conservative talking heads have come out in droves in just the last three days to rally around Palin to defend against media attacks on her children, family, and values. Kudos to them...LEAVE THE CHILDREN OUT OF IT!

3. Palin is decidedly NOT a Washington politician. Her LACK of experience can be easily spun to the McCain campaign's advantage. However, their campaign will also need to withdraw, or at least re-phrase their attacks on Obama's LACK of experience lest they appear hypocritical.

Now about McCain; Fred Thompson's speech last night cemented my feelings of heartfelt appreciation for John McCain. I have always respected the man. He is a Hero, a true Maverick, and a politician who has demonstrated time and time again that his beliefs have NEVER been guided by Party affiliation...and his slogan is absolutely spot on, "Country First". He is his own man, and a man that the Republicans can stand behind...and if Obama were to lose the election, a man that this Nation can feel comfortable with in protecting our Country. But I won't vote for him...not because I don't like him. I won't vote for him because I don't entirely agree with his political vision...and more so because I support Obama.

As for Palin, this woman scares the HELL out of me. I've read a few things about her that have been nothing less than frightening given personal sensibilities. I hope they're false but this is what I've read (see ontheissues.org).

- She is decidedly Pro-Life and against a Woman's Right to Choose and against stem cell research.

- She is against providing health and spousal benefits to gay couples.

- Not more than four years ago when she was Mayor of a tiny town of 8000, she attempted to ban books at the local library because she believed they were politically subversive and/or offensive.

- She supports an oil industry political lobbying group whose agenda is, simply, removing ALL (as in A-L-L, and I'm not exaggerating) governmental regulations and restrictions on industrial growth and expansion in pristine environments.

- She urges and has supported legislation mandating public schools teach Creationism alongside Evolution in Science classes. This is a deal breaker for me, my friends. Also supported legislation that allows parents to have their children opt out of classes and books that they find "offensive". Also supported bills that would remove sex education from schools.

- Does not believe that Global Warming has been affected by human industry NOR does she believe that we can do anything to stem the tide, so why bother?

- Her environmental record has demonstrated consistent support for industry versus a lack of interest in environmental concerns. Ex. Salmon vs. Mining, Old-growth vs. timber industry, Polar Bear vs. oil industry.

- Health Care should be market driven and has a "Reap what you sow" attitude regarding health and health care.

- And, granted her Alaskan Governorship would not ask for her to have a public policy stance on the following issues, but I worry about and have a feeling re. how she might lean toward with respect to: immigrants, undocumented workers, general attitude toward Hispanic immigrants, the Patriot Act and Civil Liberties, foreign policy, national gun laws, national health care issues, national education issues.

Needless to say, from what I've read, Palin's values clearly do not resonate with my own. But I should add two more things before I end. I do not want to diminish her political success in any way. She is an ass-kicker and deserves all the credit due to her for her accomplishments. And the second thing,...damn, she is cute.

My GOODNESS,...I HAVE to get back to work!!

Our backyard deck, Geek weekend, and Movie review.

After several weeks of effort, the deck is finally complete.

1. Stripped the old worn stain with BEHR Stain stripper. This stuffs chemical make-up is akin to Alien Blood. I accidentally splashed it on my arm and leg and it burnt a hole through my skin within 30 seconds. I'll show you the scar to prove it. Thank goodness I was wearing eye protection during a particularly clumsy moment when I dropped the brush into the tray and a large "plop" flew up right into my eye. It made quick work of the existing stain but the process was a PITA none-the-less.

2. Removed and replaced rotted boards with new redwood 2 x 6 x 12's.

3. Puttied up screw and nail holes to prevent future and further rotting.

4. Sanded down some rough spots and putty over-fills.

5. BEHR #63 Redwood prep and wood cleaner. This stuff was a breeze to work with and completely eliminated the tannin bleed you get with Redwood.

6. And finally slathered on 2 coats of semi-transparent BEHR Wood-toned stain and sealant. It looks fantastic, but a bit too red for my wife's taste.

As for the Gathering of the Gaggle of Geeks, that was this weekend. I managed to get down on Friday night and Sunday night for some gaming. Friday was spent playing a Hero-System game run by The Warden called "Gifts from the Grave". Super Fun! The characters were members of a SWAT Team from a small but well funded Police Force for a Las Vegas bedroom community. Needless to say, the game was about Zombies...and hundreds of them. I couldn't stay for the finish but I had a feeling that none of us were really meant to survive.

Sunday we played some L5R. I rolled miserably and at one point had Zero Void, down 24 Hit Points, and poisoned by Kumo Oni venom. I was in a most dis-honorable state.

Watched a French film with my wife...."The Flight of the Red Balloon". This movie was the epitome of the French Film cliche. After one hour and fifty seven minutes, neither of us had any clue as to what the "F" the film was about. It had no discernable plot, no moral, no apparent meaning, no character analysis, no character journey, nothing!

This one scene will put it all in perspective: a young French boy (the apparent and primary protagonist) and his Korean Nanny walk from left to right on the screen and exit a room via a door on the extreme right panel. The door closes.....the room is empty now but the camera continues to roll unmoving and completely silent for another 40 seconds...WTF! The director did this several times. I mean I GET IT when you do it once or twice in an effort to forcibly convey the emptiness in the space, or to demonstrate the "light" within a character by placing the viewer with them and then have that character leave the panel for an extended period...a method of enticing Want. But its done over and over again.

There were several scenes that went on for close to 15 minutes where the camera rolled one seamless shot, and in the background, the characters went about there daily business; the nanny cleaning, the mother on the phone, the boy reading a book, the blind piano tuner tuning the piano...all of it with no real dialogue, all of it improvisational, all of it with no sense, no meaning as to what the director was trying to convey! I simply did not get this film at all.

When it comes to film, I love the subtle more than most. I revel in symbolic language and enjoy films that require one to be totally focused to the smallest detail and nuance. But this film was completely over the top with regard to directoral self-indulgence. The last scene attempted to insert meaning but I found it to be completely and utterly condescending. I'll describe: I'm convinced that any viewer watching this film would be as lost as the two of us were. The last scene brings you to the Louvre where a classroom of first graders on a field trip are placed in front of a famous painting of a boy running after a Red Balloon. The painting is as cryptic as the movie. The proctor then asks them what the painting is about and several excited children chimed in with their theories. Their answers were decidedly childlike with their use of imagination. Then the camera shows a Red Balloon floating around the screen for a good 4 minutes...then "End Credits"...are you frickin kidding me!!

This movie was a complete waste of my time. I did not learn anything, or grow as a person, or experience any emotions related to the story, or taken for a ride, or entertained in any way, or preached to, or given any perspective on anything. It has, however, succeeded in one thing: pissing me off...and in that regard, this movie did a fantastic job.

Warning! L5R Geeking out in progress.

So I've built a new Rank 1 character for L5R. I figured I've always loved playing the heavy-hitter so now will be no exception. He is, as you've probably guessed, a Crab Clan Bushi. He has a ton of Dis-ads but it's somewhat offset my his mondo Ad-vans. Not to go too in depth with the details but here is what he is capable of in terms of Hay-Maker damage with his primary weapon....mind you, he is a NEW Rank ONE character:

1. 4 strength character
2. Plus 1 by spending "Void"
3. Plus 2 for "Unholy Strength"...oops, the bag is out, he has a Major Shadowlands power.
4. Plus 2 more by tapping into the "Shadowlands Taint" at a cost of one Taint box.
4. Times 1.5 strength with use of a "Tetsubo"
5. Plus 1 for "Large" Advantage
6. Plus 1K1 for "Bishoman's Blessing", provided he makes the requisite 2 raises which would be offset by a "Full Attack".
7. Plus 3 pts (Earth Ring)

That's 4+1+2+2=9x1.5=13.5+1=14.5+1K1= 15.5K4 which rounds to 10 KEEP 7 plus 3 plus ignores Armor!! That's an average of 57PTS of Damage! How's THAT for a first level character! However, he only rolls 7 Keep 3 to hit. If theProf. is reading this, let me know if I've done the math correctly, but I think I'm right on this one.

This is not as bad as my now dead 4th rank Nezumi "Berserker of Doom" which, when nearly down and utilizing the "Motchichikan" and the "Rake" plus "Leap-over" maneuver could conceivable do (only with optimum conditions):

1. 4 strength
2. Plus 1 for large
3. Plus 4 strength when doing Motchichikan/Rake/Leap-over plus Athletics maneuver which was 3 raises total, 2 raises offset by Full Attack.
4. Plus 0k1 for "Hands of Stone"
5. Plus 1k1 for Claws
6. Plus 6 free raises for extra damage (rank ability) plus 40, or 8 raises for extra damage provided he's in the Down box.
7. Plus 40 for Rank 3 Berserker ability
8. Plus 2x Water = 8

Which is 4+1+4=9K2+1K1=10K3+4K5(14 free raises)=14K8 which rounds to 10 KEEP 10 plus 48 pts with his BARE HANDS!! That's an average of 108 Pts. of damage!! Unfortunately, I never lived long enough to unleash this Ultimate attack...I blame theProf. for that.

End Geek-out....

The Rave-Boy inspired this blog entry.

It has occurred to me that in my little kingdom within Public Health Administration, I am in a position to affect the lives of many people given my decisions regarding authorizing and denying services. I do not shy away from this authority nor do I revel in its meager power. I simply realize that oversight is an important function with regard to how our valuable and costly resources are doled out.

However, I do not author policy and our office's authority has limits. We do not legislate laws or regulations, nor do we make broad fiscal decisions regarding city and county, state, and federal budgets. In other words, I'm a little pee-on.

Other folks all across this country in similar positions of limited authority (theDiscourser included) at times will encounter situations where policy and modus operandi compel us to make decisions and/or maintain a protocol that runs counter to our ethics and values and intelligence. We continue to slog through it knowing that we are but a cog on the wheel...that our dissenting vote mean next to nothing excepting a poor employee evaluation.

So what do we do? Ghandi, Thoureau, Dr. King et.al spoke and wrote at length about campaigning against injustice where ever it may be; from the halls of Congress, to the hallways in our schools, from third world countries, to our gleaming urban cities. They spoke about how all of us have the capacity and the responsibility to reveal injustice in our communities and in our world...but that this knowledge means little without action. HOWEVER, they never intended for us to struggle and battle alone...and that standing up for what you believe was never at the expense of your livelihood or life....that our state, federal, corporate, and global institutions are entities that one man/woman could not possibly challenge by themselves. This was not expected of us.

These visionaries believed that there were other ways an activist can advocate. Another option is to NOT participate in a system that is unjust, in a policy that is unfair, in a protocol that does more damage than good, in a system that is broken. We can do this silently and in relative obscurity melding in the background within the system. We need not be the Hero or Martyr. And in this process, find allies and leaders, and over time create a movement. This applies to our health-care system, our educational system, politics, governments, regulation of industry, and any place where injustice lies.

Throughout history, the numbers are incalculable with regard to those who chose to do what was right despite all that compelled them to do what was wrong. Soo soo many did this without fanfare and, in fact, did so with great care to avoid exposure.

For the past couple of years in my current position, I've given thought to how these principles could apply to me and the work that I do...about how despite itemized and guided policies I can and should make decisions that are founded more-so on sound clinical judgement rather than fiscal interests. That I need not be the Hero and advertise my dissent but rather sit quietly and serve my clients in the most ethically and clinically sound manner I can muster.

That's enough writing for now...I'll be giving several examples in my next blog entry.

A gag pamphlet created by a co-worker.

Our unit is given the authority and the responsibility to place clients all throughout the system of care. We essentially control every "BED" everywhere, save the "bed" on the sidewalk or in a park that homeless folks utilize, and the beds people sleep in in their owned or rented homes. Everything else is controlled; from every Hospital bed, to Jail bed, to every shelter bed, to skilled nursing bed, to board and care bed, to independent living bed, to residential treatment bed, to locked facility beds, to half-way house beds...you name it, we control it...we're talking thousands of beds here.

The most challenging and at times frustrating aspect of our job is when we are asked, or rather compelled, to transition our most challenging patients (psychiatrically and medically) out of higher, more expensive levels of care and into less expensive levels of care; for example, from a locked psychiatric ward and into the community. From a philosophical perspective, this makes moral, ethical, fiscal, and clinical sense.

1. A hospital bed costs 1500 dollars a day. A bed in the community costs anywhere from 25 to 600 dollars a day.

2. Locked psychiatric units are designed for folks who are psychiatrically acute, meaning a very recent episode of "danger to self or others, or grave disability". If a patient has compensated from their psychiatric episode and no longer meet legal criteria, it is completely unethical to hold them against there will in a locked setting.

3. Maintaining a patient, psychiatrically compensated and no longer needing a locked setting, in a volatile setting exposes that patient to a high risk of abuse and violence. It is flat-out WRONG to maintain a client in a potentially dangerous environment when they no longer need to (prep. sorry).

4. Crazy environments are crazy-making. When clients have compensated well enough to manage at a lower level of care, continuing to maintain clients in clinically inappropriate settings negatively impact the prognosis of their psychiatric recovery.

With that said, the challenge remains: "Where the Hell do we place some of these clients!?" Patient advocates, Ombudsman's, State Licensing, Doctors, Social Workers, Families, and Psychiatrist expect our system to have an answer for EVERY client that we come across. The expectations are at times both completely unrealistic, bordering on Utopian, and utterly self-righteous.

Often times our teams find ourselves in political struggles and philosophical debates between the system (us) and client advocates regarding where, when, how, and what should be done with the clients we serve. And within this cauldron of frustration and debate, workers within can alleviate a bit of tension by inserting a bit of humor.

Here is a fake pamphlet one of my colleagues created of a fictitious home. I don't think you'll find it at all funny, but to folks in Bed Control, it is a complete riot. I made the mistake of passing this around to a bunch of therapists and social workers I sometimes eat lunch with. Some got the humor while others thought it was over the line. I stood my ground, especially re. the fake email "We'llslap'em4u@RiaootnManor.com". I responded with..."some of our clients need to be slapped"....GASP!

I continued..."If one person CONS another person for ten thousand dollars, that person can be arrested, convicted, and thrown in prison. On the other hand, when you have ONE manipulative malingerer (with a contrived factitious disorder and deliberately exaggerated psychiatric symptoms) conning our system of precious resources and expensive housing to the tune of 1.75 million dollars over 24 months, what do we do?!?...NOTHING, no outrage let alone an attempt to CHALLENGE or even QUESTION that client's claims of disability. Instead, what we do is continue to bash that square peg into that round hole...brilliant."...no answer. I deftly tossed the report re. the clients history of cost to the system onto the center of the table (names and identifying info. removed according to HIPAA regulations of course).

I mentioned that it was AS IMPORTANT to serve our clients as it was to delegate our efforts to those clients MOST IN NEED OF OUR SERVICES AND RESOURCES. We simply cannot serve everyone with the same intensity of service; it is neither good for the client or the service worker. We MUST make difficult clinical judgements regarding who we serve as well as the degree to which we invest our resources toward their care. One social worker (whom I like and respect) said, in jest, "You sound burnt out". I responded that I was in fact the opposite! That I was more excited about the work than ever! I clarified that I was in NO WAY frustrated with our clients,...rather it was the other way around!...I was frustrated with folks who serve our clients.

Enough of that, here's the pics.




BTW, R.I.A.O.O.T.N. stands for "Running In And Out Of Traffic Naked".

The greatest swimming race I've ever seen.

The 4 X 100 freestyle relay last night. I can't say it any better than this report:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/swimming/news/newsid=194272.html#relay+instant+olympic+classic?GT1=39001

Read it please.

Ruins of Monte Alban

The Valley of Oaxaca is a geographic region located within the modern day State of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. The valley, which is located within the Sierra Madre Mountains, is shaped like a distorted and almost upside-down “Y,” with each of its arms bearing specific names. The Valley of Oaxaca was home to the Zapotec civilization, one of the earliest complex societies in Mesoamerica, and the later Mixtec culture. A number of important and well-known archaeological sites are found in the Valley of Oaxaca, including Monte Alban, Mitla, and San José Mogote.

Here are some of my wife's pix from her recent trip to Oaxaca. This is Monte Alban...by 400 BC, this site, which is located atop a 400 m tall artificially-leveled mountain and completely lacking in easily-accessible water sources, had a population of ca. 5,200.




Mesoamerican's played a ball game with similarities to modern soccer. The ball game was intense. The players, dressed in padded clothes for protection, dashed up and down the court, skillfully moving the ball, using only their shoulders, knees, elbows and hips. Everyone in the city will watch, but the most intent spectators are the priests, who interpret the will of the Gods by the actions of the ball and the players. At the end of the game, the winners will have brought prosperity to the region they represent. The losers, however, will march off sadly—their loss has shown that the Gods are displeased with them and their city-state. The only remedy: the losing team must be sacrificed. The skull of the losing captain will form the core of the hard rubber ball that is used in the next game



According to some scholars, these skulls also represent proof early Trepanation: surgery in which a hole is drilled or scraped into the skull, thus exposing the dura mater in order to treat health problems related to intracranial disease



Back to watching the Olympics. Been watching the gymnastics portion this evening. My god, after watching the Chinese men and women, why bother continuing with the competition?

Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

So I just finished watching the entire opening ceremonies...with the occasional PIP channel flip during the Parade of Nations to watch some UFC fights. I've watched nearly every opening ceremony since the late 70's...my parents did the same. I have to say that this opening ceremony was the grandest spectacle I have ever seen.

As Bob Costas (anchor hosting the games and a journalist who has covered the Olympics for over 25 years) elequantly put it during the torch lighting phase, "If Olympic Opening Ceremonies were a contest, you'd retire the trophy." WOW, utterly amazing. I simply can't begin to explain it.

It is Tuesday the 5th of Aug.

1. Gamed Saturday at Rave-boy's. Needless to say, I LOVE playing L5R. The dice rolling has been going my way for the last two sessions. Also, our group is as well rounded as an adventure party can be...combat-wise. I'm actually looking forward to my character's ongoing and growing challenges with dealing with the Dark Side. I believe I can successfully negotiate and eventually master the Shadowland Power...hehe...that sounds like a challenge to the GM...and walk that thin line without compromising my character's unflinching integrity.

2. The Wife returned from Oaxaca. Had a wonderful time and learned a helluva lot of Spanish. She took a few fantastic pics that I'll be posting...some of a huge and ancient Aztec city. Beautiful now, kinda creeps me out knowing what they did at these temples. If you don't know, just imagine an endless parade of mutilation and sacrifice that goes on from sun up to sun down, one poor soul after another, one day after another, one week after another, one months after another. And all of it to appeal to and praise the dieties. She took pictures of several skulls from the site's science center...all of them have signs of death inducing cranial trauma.

3. My car has been driving decently for several months now. Still has a nagging boost flutter issue that doesn't rear its head often enough to qualify as a "problem". However, when I parked in my garage space at work and shut of the motor, all the contents of the radiator decided to explode out from under the car...DAMN. After some serious web research and after tapping into the Audi Fanatic on-line Collective that is "Audiworld", I got a hook-up to a reputable mechanic within 4 blocks of my garage. I kinda knew what was wrong and absolutely knew that despite the catastrophic symptoms, it was simply a matter of a blown hose under the motor. Got a call today from Darrell at Atlas Motors LTD (good guy) and sure enough, just a blown hose to the coolant temp sensor. Easy fix and cheap to boot. Having to Bart it for a couple of days though.

4. Movie recommendations: Nothing earth shattering here...just some some entertaining flicks.
- The Dark Knight...you already know about this one.
- Wanted...watched this one with NTT's Brain, theProf, theAcupunturist, and Rave-Boy. Quite entertaining...not alot of substance but it never took itself that seriously.
- The Brave One...the most thoughtful vigilante genre piece in quite some time. Totally convincing. Examines revenge and the vigilante psyche better than almost any other vigilante genre film I've seen.
- Frailty...great hook, doesn't let go, and ends with a bang.

5. Eating a late lunch at work: Papusas and chorizo gorditas from "Bocadillo Il Primo". I would have rank Chorizo just slightly behind SPAM as my favorite food. You can do almost anything with this stuff...and the yummy, spicy, fatty juices that seem to run and soak into everything near it tastes soo good. SPAM has it beat only because Chirozo requires a pan to cook properly. You could conceivable eat and enjoy SPAM right out of the can, if you weren't opposed to the rubbery texture and slimmy goop on it's exterior. My parents used to make me raw SPAM sanwiches in grade school. My classmates would wretch at the sight and smell. I would simply close my "Land of the Lost" lunch pail in silent shame and save the sandwich for discard at a latter time. My parents would have been quite angry if they knew, "My Goodness, you're throwing away some good SPAM right there!". Raw is the only way I can't eat SPAM.

More about my grade-school lunches in a future post.

BBQ, Gaming, and Van Damme State Park...

Firstly, its good to see theProf. busting out with his own blog. He's quite a good writer and I enjoy his particular brand of humor and political rhetoric.

Had the BBQ Saturday. Great weather and good gaming. TheProf, Warden, Discourser, Acupunturist, NTT's Brain, GM, and even the Craftsman, wife, and baby managed to show. I ate a whole lot of food...in fact, I pretty much ate or drank continuously for 12 hours straight. Even the down times were filled with noshing on brownie bites or nuts or grapes. My final meal was microwaved SPAM and rice...how Daly City ghetto is that. I'm getting my SPAM fix out of my system before my wife returns from Oaxaca. (Tonight I'm having fish-sticks and Vienna sausages...MMMMM)

Played L5R...my character is falling into madness. His body and soul have been stained by the Shadowlands Taint. He knows he's infected but has no clue as to its severity. He's unconsciously tapping into the Dark potential not knowing the repercussions of its growing power. I fear that there is no turning back now. He's a member of a new Clan with a big-time chip on his shoulder...he's ambitious and believes that the rest of Rokugan should acknowledge and respect the Tsuruchi and the Wasp Clan as legitimate players in Rokugani society. Couple that with his low power ranking among the group and his Yojimbo status, I feel the Dark Power will slowly seduce him and corrupt his mind. Without the Craftsman's character to keep him in check, I fear the worst for my guy. From now on, if I ever tap into the Darkness, I believe I should disclose that info. only to theProf. (our GM)...I think it best that the rest of the group not know (as they're character's wouldn't) the depth of his descent into madness.

Played some Scrabble with theCraftman. I humbly submit that he the superior player...and by far. He's really REALLY good. I can't see the different plays that he sees. Its like a White Belt going up against a Black Belt. I'm 0-4 against him...but did I mention that its BEST OUT OF TEN!!! One more game my friend and if you win, I will be fully convinced your Scrabble Godhood status.

The GM made me copies of the pictures he and his better half took at our recent camping trip to Mendocino. Here is a better shot at the Easter Island MOA I created.



And my favorite food:



The Prof and his BBQ SPAM and Marshmallow sandwich...disgusting.



The Prof. leading NTT's Brain and GM onto the Fern Trail...don't worry, no faces as you can see...or not see.



See you later....

7/22 update....

My wife has been out of the country for 5 days now and I think I'm ready to have her back home...and the cats are too.

Watched the Dark Knight a couple of nights ago with theProf...wow...to utilize theDiscourser's parlance, "My Face has been ripped off". An intelligent exploration of the Hero and Villain psyche. Impressed with the movie on soo many levels. Will Heath Ledger get a nod for best actor this year because of this role?...I think YES.

Rarely in cinema do villains come across as truly evil and/or "villainous". I believe you can group most bad-guys in the following general categories:

1. Near comical caricatures where often times viewers find themselves rooting for the bad-guy to escape or succeed or prevail: most Action Film genre Arch Enemies fall into this category.

2. Bad-guys with the stereotypic tragic past/childhood...and in some small way we can understand why they've come to be who they are: Micheal Myers, Jason Vorhees, Carrie, The Ring, a majority of Japanese horror genre characters, etc.etc.

3. Then there are the serial killer genre Bad-guy who, despite being scary and frightening, are in the end much more interesting and strangely fascinating then they're Good-guy counterparts: Hannibal Lechter, Seven, Saw, Anton Shugar and the rest...and they're particularly good at entertaining us with their always creative ways of killing people.

4. And of course there are the Monsters...and being Monsters, there's NO NEED to justify their bad behavior: Vampires, Werewolves, Mummy's, Zombies, etc.etc. I mean you can't fault a Zombie for eating you simply because its in their nature to eat you.

5. Then there are the Criminals and crime-bosses. They do what they do for power, wealth, notoriety, or fame. They're quite easy to understand really.

6. Then there are the supernatural Bad-guys who, again, need no explanation re. why they are who they are. Demons are demonic, Devils perform deviltry, Ghosts are....ghostly? Honestly, this is one groups that actually scares me at times...and I'll tell you why: you can takes steps to defend yourselves against the rest of the bad guys on this list (even defeat them), however crazy these steps might be. But their is no defense against Possession or an attack from an ethereal enemy. Viewers are left to feel vulnerable and helpless. Furthermore, Satan and his minions can't be bargained with...they exist to be Evil. But their impact on the viewer is mostly related to Fear, and not much else. Also, their very nature (being not of this world) allows us to take several psychological steps away from accepting them in any way as REAL.

But then there are that handful of truly frightening Bad-guys. Yes, other Villains might have higher body counts but what makes the most disturbing villains evil is that they choose to be Evil. Furthermore, there is a senselessness in the way they kill and cause pain. They don't do it to make ANY POINT, or do it because it makes them feel warm and fuzzy inside, or do it for reward or payment or power, or do it to corrupt the pure, or do it because they're hungry, or do it for vengeance, or do it to praise Satan, or do it because its in their nature. The best Villains are those who can't be understood...where viewers are invited into the madness hoping for a payoff or punchline or harbor from the insanity, but in the end, there is none. And the Joker comes damn close to being that great Villain.

I believe the best villain in cinema history was Ammon Goeth from Schindler's List...and absolutely NOTHING comes close. I hate him more than I've hated any character or real person in my entire life. I could not identify with any aspect of his personality. There was absolutely no meaning to his cruelty other than to demonstrate how much of a bore and a chore it had become. Of course what is most frightening about him is that he was a real man. Ammon wasn't some crazy schizophrenic, or Frankenstein's Monster, or crime boss, etc whose motivation to do evil is clearly understood. Ammon didn't even CHOOSE to be evil. What I find completely and utterly terrifying about him is that he was a bi-product of that society, a necessary cog in Nazi culture...and the mind-boggling bottom line being; Ammon believed he was doing GOOD, as did many Nazi's.

There was one particular scene in that movie that chills me to the bone to this day. Ammon's cabin was perched on the edge of a hill overlooking the quarry he was assigned to manage. Within the quarry were thousands of enslaved Jews moving in single file groups from one work station to another. A new resident was about to walk across the large open space when he was stopped by a veteran prisoner of the death camp. He warned him not to walk any faster or slower than any other worker, and never look up or STOP for any reason. High in his cabin, Ammon Goeth was taking aim deciding who to shoot with his high-caliber weapon. The words of the prisoner made sense then...Goeth wasn't shooting anyone in particular, just anyone that stood out to him...and then he killed anyone that stopped to help the fallen. He killed this way before breakfast and he was having a pleasant conversation between reloading...no affect, no glee, no remorse, no anger, no joy. The act was akin to his morning shave.

Man, I'm feeling really dark this morning. Anywayz, gotta go.

Interviewed by Channel 2 news...

I was walking across the busy street I work at and spotted Bob McKenzie, of KNTV Channel 2 News, accompanied by a cameraman. In my curiosity, I walked up, said "Hello" and asked what story they were covering. The cameraman spun around while Bob moved the microphone towards me asking me in a completely intimidating and friendly tone, "The City has been voted as the number One walking city in the country. Why do you think that?"....silence. In that moment, I seemed hyper-aware of my surroundings and the camera lens appeared to expand in size...and eventually I spoke...right out my ass.

He said that the story would run on tonight's news. Apparently, he had traveled to several parts of the city interviewing dozens of people so I thought my chances of making it on-air were slim to none.

I had told my wife of the run-in and we sat watching the news at five to see if I had made the cut. After about 20 minutes of real news, lo-and-behold, there I was...a big round Asian head moving its lips, speaking like some sort of expert and sounding very gooby indeed. I have it recorded and I've watched it several times hoping my embarrassment would diminish after each viewing...it didn't. I looked goobier and goobier each time I watched. I believe you can view it on the KTVU website looking under 7/17 news stories.

This marks the 4th time I've been on TV. Here are the others:

1. 11 years ago, I was asked to stand-in for my esteemed former supervisor, a renowned expert on suicide, on a panel discussion on suicide and the elderly which aired on our local PBS station. I have a copy of that 30 minute round-table. Every time I look at it, I simply can't believe the size of my Pompadour...its leading edge must have stuck straight up a good 4 inches. I came uber prepared and sounded very much a professional with some good knowledge, but one look at that hair and I can't imagine anyone taking me seriously. I can't bear to look at that tape now and suffer chills and fits of embarrassment with just the thought of having to view it again.

2. 13 years ago, during suicide awareness week and following a rash of sensational suicides in our city, a Channel 7 news crew came by the crisis line I had worked for to interview a volunteer and supervisor...I was the supervisor. I hadn't shaved, dressed in a tee-shirt, and generally looked nowhere near the "expert" they had wanted, but they went through it anywayz believing my delivery and content were spot on. I look back on that clip, and again, I can't see past the damn HAIR...it was huge, but thank goodness NOT as huge as the former example. It was also when I weighed 190 lbs with very little body fat, benched 315 without a problem, took supplements and weight lifted 5 times a week...needless to say, I looked like a crazy Pompadour haired overly muscled big-headed unshaven Filipino freak who spoke softly and compassionately about our need to understand and be aware of elderly suicide. It was ridiculous.

3. 8 months ago, while standing in the bitter cold in front of the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, an AP news crew interviewed me about my feelings re. David Letterman's first show back after the long writer's strike. They also wanted my take on how he had hired the writers to work despite the rest of the writers within the union continuing to strike. Thank goodness, I didn't look like a complete freak in this one. My face was a bit red from the freezing cold but that's about it.

And so, that's my 15 minutes of fame in a nutshell...most of it an embarrassing mess.

My wife will be out of town for a couple of weeks...

LET THE DEBAUCHERY BEGIN!!!

Just kidding sweetie, I'm just kidding.

Some stuff from July 4th...

Forgot to post some pics from 4th of July. My wife and I took the ferry from Alameda to the City and I took some snapshots of the new eastern span. They're nearly at the part where they traverse the deepest part of the Bay...where the new suspension span will begin.



Here's a night shot of the more attractive western span.



Please don't get me started on the subject of the Bay Bridge...okay, can't help it. Here it goes:

IT IS AN EMBARRASSING JOKE that this bridge isn't built yet. I have a cousin that worked as a Caltrans engineer for over 15 years and now works as a big-wig administrator at their Sacramento headquarters. And you know what?...it's a frickin joke to them as well. It is an abject fiasco and I refer to two singular (gramatically incorrect, but bear with me) issues.

1. The bridge was 53 years old when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit. It will take over 25 years to rebuild just the Eastern Span...how is that NOT a completely unfunny joke.

2. Original bridge estimates have been re-adjusted nearly a dozen times from the original budget of 200 million to over FIVE BILLION!! How the F@%& did it go up by a factor of 25!

I'll tell you why...here's the punchline...NO BODY KNOWS. Caltrans blames cost over-runs on material costs, increased labor costs, and massive inflation in the cost of steel. The State blames it on poor estimate analysis, poor management, and problems with the legions of separate and distinct contractors. Pundits blame environmental groups, delays related to political handwringing re. the archetectural syle of the eastern suspension span, and poor choices in contractor bids. And the people blame everyone. This has gone on through four gubernatorial administrations and the finger pointing continues with NO ONE accepting responsibility and with NO ONE to blame.

My cousin believes that, ultimately, with a bureaucracy the size of the State and Caltrans, and particularly considering the time table, the several investigators and special commissions assigned to tease out the mess will NEVER discover who is at fault. AND, here is the crazy thing, at one point during the investigation, contractors were told to STOP building and that we would pay them 1,000,000 dollars a week to DO NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That there was 100 exclamation points...times that by 10,000 and that is the amount of dollars were talking about, PER WEEK. Another way to put it into perspective; our local school district has lost nearly its entire sports program and a huge portion of its AP courses because it could not bridge a 4.5 million dollar budget shortfall this past year...wow, that's what we paid these guys to do absolutely NOTHING for FOUR mother-f-king weeks...brilliant.

This issue enrages me on soo many levels. The latest outrage was the most recent estimate last January re. upping the estimate an extra BILLION dollars from just 12 months earlier! Why is no-one at least being FIRED, or apologizing for this mess, or telling us the truth?

If I hired a contractor to fix my roof and he told me it would cost 1000 dollars and will take 3 days...but then after 2 months the roof has yet to be fixed and he's now charging me 25,000 dollars...let me tell you, I'd press charges or sue or go to court or report the idiot or just plain beat him about the head and torso with a blunt object. But with this damn bridge, we (State Taxpayers) have NO recourse. We simply bend over and take it again and again and again.

One might argue, "so what if we're spending six billion dollars to build this bridge...we're paying people to work, and that's good". Anyone who uses this logic, please step forward so that I can shoot you in the head.

How about this. Tear down what you've built...no wait, that'll cost more money. Leave up what you've already built so the Peregrine Falcons can use is as a home and we'll simply live with the old piece of garbage cantilever eastern span. If it collapses during the next earthquake?...oh well, we'll fix it like we did last time.

I know this sounds completely absurd...but for me, its come to that. One thing is undeniable at this point; we're going to pay an estimated Six Billion dollars to build this bridge, and it will be the biggest waste of taxpayer money the world has ever seen in a civic project....gee, what a proud moment it will be for our State when we cut that ribbon to open the new span. No one is at fault, no on is to blame, no one was hurt, taxpayers will simply deal with it.

I'm in the business of managing resources...c'mon, I work in managed care and authorize and deny services EVERY day. I know about the allocation of resources and about how tax money is doled out to different accounts and funds and budgets and how all of it is very complex. But what it comes down to is that this is OUR tax dollars being spent, however you spin it; whether its money from the Feds, from the span commuters, from the Counties, or from special state assessments, or bond funds, or foreign bank loans, etc.

And in the end, we've been RIPPED OFF...

You know your a Goob when......

1. You've had a character that has courted, romanced, and/or had sex with an NPC or, worse yet, a PC...and you think yourself quite a ladies man because of it.

2. You can quote every line from every movie Bruce Campbell has been in.

3. You've made very serious attempts to move objects by channeling your Jedi Force powers.

4. You've masturbated to Boris Vallejo artwork.

5. You can write a thesis, citing numerous sources, on why The JUGGERNAUT can beat up the HULK.

6. You know the issue and the villain who was hit by Fantastic Four's THING's most powerful punch he'd ever thrown in his entire life.

7. And of course, you've dressed up as a character from Star Trek, Star Wars, or LOTR.

8. You've been upset about and decided not to go to an Airsoft game because your iron-sights were improperly co-witnessed with your Aim-point.

9. Resident Evil is the greatest movie ever filmed.

10. You have an original set of AD&D dice.

11. You know your buddies character's last name but can't recall your buddies last name.

12. You know how much YOU, the REAL you, cost in points according to Hero System.

13. Conceptualize all human behavior as 8, 11, or 14-or-less skill roles.

14. Can drink 9 liters of Diet Coke in one evening.

15. Laugh hysterically at "fumble" stories.

16. Can get the punchline in the quote "I slight of hand my hand".

17. Have been so traumatized by a Call of Chuthulu game you played 15 years ago that regardless of the game your playing, your character will NEVER look upon any artwork on a wall.

18. You believe Zombies exist.

19. You've thought about naming your first born Tiberius.

20. When you help your friends move and they ask you to help them lift some heavy furniture, you mock them for failing their "push" roll.

21. You are offended that your gaming friend only brought THREE boxes of powdered donuts to a game.

Anyone else???

The Moose's Wedding and more on Goobhood.

Attended the Moose's wedding yesterday. Wedding ceremonies lacked meaning for me until I experienced my own wedding ceremony. I've always "gotten" how it was a joyous occasion, an opportunity for family and friends to connect. However, the actual "union" aspect of the ceremony was lost to me on an emotional level. But now to my surprise, every wedding I've attended have been exceptionally moving. I'm truly honored to be a witness to the union and the Moose's Wedding was no exception.

I can't tell it better than theDiscourser in his 7/11 blog so check out his entry for all the details.

I was glad that the goob crew had a chance to read and discuss my Goob blog entry. It created both conversation and debate, which is what I intended. Needless to say, theProf took issue with my ratings; both in the scores and the science behind my methodology. I have to admit,...their was no science at all, the scores were purely subjective...I gave the scoring very little thought. I have to say though, I think theProf goob factor score is much higher than I had once thought....he is one hell of a goob. My goodness, he wants to create a rubric and operationalize the "Goob Factor" scoring...and the crazy thing is I want to help him work on it!

So at this point in time, I'm going to throw out my "goob factor" ratings in the previous posts and help theProf develop a legitimate rating system; one with inter-rater reliability and validity. Needless to say, I think the scores would change dramatically. I truly believe my friends are much goobier than I had once thought.

So re. criteria to be operationalized; here are some dimensions that should be taken into account. I'll be presenting this to theProf. and we can brainstorm further. Again, its a work in progress:

Dimension One:
1. How gooby does he/she look like?
2. How gooby does he/she sound like?
These are very important criteria. We can spot dorks and geeks from a mile away. But then again, some pass very well...until they open their mouths (think theSupertechnician). Credit should be given for those who are able to "pass" and higher scores should be given to those who are incapable of appearing normal.
NOTE: The severity of the scoring should be mitigated by one's "skill" at passing...ie. thePerfectLine is attuned to his goobhood and is quite skillful at keeping it under wraps.

Dimension Two:
1. Number of hobbies
2. Goobiness of said hobbies
High scores in this dimension can really put someone over the top and into the realm of abject freakdom. Folks with alot of hobbies tend to display several important psychological features; limited ability to control their obsessiveness bordering on if not fully into addiction, disregard toward the repercussions related to the amount of energy and money paid to these hobbies, inability to focus and prioritize, and an almost manic flavor to their desire to delve as deeply into the hobby as humanly possible. Furthermore, and regarding item 2 in dimension two, some hobbies are viewed as culturally accepted and at times even appropriate. Think; the thrill seeker, poker player, sports fan, Scrabble player (yep Craftsman) etc. This is in sharp contrast with the gamer, airsoft, and LARP'ing, among others.

Dimension Three:
1. The depth to which one delves into the goob hobby.
This is a critical point that I feel is separate from Dimension Two. Dabblers score very low. I'm taking about the level to which one's make-believe world has replaced the real-world when it comes to meeting their emotional needs. There was a time in my life when I scored quite high in this dimension...probably higher then all the other goobers. Why?...I'm certainly the only guy among our group that has physically assaulted another player (theDiscourser) because he killed a beloved character (Shaka Jesus). TheProf. scores very high in this dimension when it comes to his miniature gaming hobby (as all of you know).

Dimension Four:
1. Negative impact on one's life.
This is huge. Some goobs are well-adjusted folk with happy lives, successful careers, and satisfying relationships DESPITE how poorly they pass, or how much time and energy they place on their hobby, or how emotionally important their hobby has become to them. I'm taking about the addicted, the dysfunctional, the guy who will NEVER get laid EVER. They have NO insight in how absolutely absurd they are both inside and out, and have neither the capacity to realize nor the inclination to change this...but of course, imagine this on a continuum for ratings sake. To illustrate, some of us let it all hang out at conventions, but are quick to shut it off the moment we step outside the convention doorways...that's good.

I've got to get back to work so my brainstorming ends here for now. If anyone would like to chime in, please feel free in the COMMENTS section. I'll be taking to theProf. and perhaps we can create a survey/questionnaire, but that'll be crazy difficult to develop. Self evaluation is a poor way of obtaining accurate measurements but lets see what he says. Either way, this should be a terribly embarrasing excercise for all of us.

Later...

Addendum to my last post:

I forgot to mention (my apologies):

TheAcupunturist: Finishing up grad-school, Eastern Medicine/Acupunture focus. Lives in the East Bay. Hobbies include: well, alot of things, theAcupunturist is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to hobbies. Goob factor: 6.7 and growing. He reveals his goobhood over time and I'm not sure of its upper limits at this point.

Also, at the behest of theCraftsman, I'm including "Scrabble" as a hobby of his, a game he plays nearly every day...which increases his goob factor to 4.9. He's quite skilled, I must say...I'm pretty good and I've gotten hammered the three times we've played...regardless, I CHALLENGE HIM one-on-one!!

The list of fellow Goobs and my take on Goobhood.

TheDiscourser: Has been a buddy of mine since 3rd grade Catholic School. Has his own Blog, thediscourser.blogspot.com. Married, 2 kids, works as an Administrator at a local Middle School. Hobbies include: gaming, comic books, Playstation. Goob factor 5.2 Hides his goobness very well.

TheWarden: we attended the same Catholic High school. Works as a Police Officer. Hobbies include: on-line gaming (particularly Lord of the Rings), computers, gaming, camping, shooting, backpacking, guns. Goob factor 8.8, a high score given how he has contingency plans and is fully prepared for an attack on his home by Zombies.

TheGM: been our primary GM for over 20 years now. Works as a librarian administrator at the county library. Hobbies include: gaming, backpacking, car camping, fishing, electronic gadgets. Goob factor 9.0. We all count on our Ota-King to be our master-goober.

TheProf: been a buddy of mine since college. In fact, theMightyMook, theWarden, theDiscourser, KawangaKid, and I all went to the same Catholic all-boys College Prep Highschool. TheProf is married and works as a teacher at a local college prep high-school teaching all the brainy AP science/math courses. Hobbies include: gaming, miniature table-top gaming, playstation, martial arts, camping, miniature painting, and he's a proselytizing neo-con (I Kid, I Kid!). Goob factor: 9.2. Openly embraces his goobatude.

TheMightyMook: been a buddy of mine since college. Has 2 kids and works primarily in Real Estate and recently played a small role as a hired henchman in a film. Hobbies include: dating, gaming, martial arts, acting. Goob factor: 2.0. You'd never know Mook was a goob. TheMook is one guy you don't want to get into a fight with...he enjoys fighting, doesn't mind getting hit in the face and returning the favor with his foot/leg.

NTT'sBrain: been a buddy of mine for 20 years. Married and works as a professional artist for a huge computer/console game multinational conglomerate. Amazingly skilled artist BTW. Has his own blog nttsbrain.blogspot.com. Hobbies include: drawing, charcoal, paint, photography, wood-work, Airsoft, gaming. Goob factor: 5.0 but he makes being a Goob look cool.

TheKawangaKid: attended the same high-school. Lives and works in the Philippines in the tech industry (I believe). Married with a child on the way! Has his own blog but I can't remember its address. Hobbies include: gaming, sci-fi, short story writer. Goob factor: 9.0 theKawangaKid is a goob, a shameless, out of the closet GOOB. I admire his openess re. his goobatude.

ThePerfectLine: Currently lives in Southern Ca. and works as an IT Director/VP. Hobbies include: dating ridiculously gorgeous women, cars, high performance driving, computers, Electornica...actually, thePerfectLine has had more hobbies than anyone I've known and the list would be too long to include. Goob factor: 10!! Yes, a TEN. He is THE biggest goob I know...but he hides it better than, I believe, anyone in history. He lives 2 lives man!

TheCraftsman: Married with one fresh and new little son. Works as a buyer for a huge electronics retail chain. Hobbies: gaming, carpentry, woodworking, drinking very expensive Scotch, the Beatles. Goob factor: 1.7. TheCraftsman isn't much of a goob at all. He just hangs out with a lot of really supergooby people.

Cajun: Married with 2 kids, an accountant living in a Midwestern Red State. Hobbies include: gaming, airsoft, blogging, sci-fi. Goob factor: 9.1...Big time goober, out and lovin it...he wears "costumes" for cryin out loud, and not just one, he has MANY in his arsenal.

Rave-Boy: One of our youngest members, in a committed relationship, lives with theMightyMook, works for a massive Utility Company. Hobbies include: gaming, cars, dance music, clubbing, glow sticks (very skilled, at least a 14-less), on-line gaming. Goob factor: .1 Rave-boy is the most un-gooby in our group, you'd never know he was a goober. I have no idea why he hangs out with us old guys.

Duff: Another young member. Currently attending an out of state University, single (I believe), works part-time as a fire/emergency system contractor (?). Hobbies include: reading, philosophy, anti-right wing political rhetoric, gaming, 40K miniatures, cars, fine beer. Goob factor: .1, a fringe goob, a dabbler at best, very un-gooby.

SuperTechnician: Super-yacht technology/computer expert/contractor, lives in Europe. Hobbies include: anything related to technology, sci-fi, gaming, woodwork, music. Goob factor: 9.7. This guy is a MAJOR GOOB...all it takes is one conversation with the guy and it becomes entirely and overwhelmingly obvious.

Moose: A mountain of a man. Will be getting married this weekend!! Works as an engineer. Hobbies include: home-brewed beer, guns, gaming, shooting, camping, hunting, fishing,...actually anything related to the outdoors. Goob factor: 2.1 Moose is a different kind of goob, an outdoorsman goober really...can't put it any other way.

And of course.....ME, the Supergoober. Married, works in Public Health Administration, lives in the Bay Area. Hobbies include: cars, high performance driving, chess, gaming, sci-fi, blogging, film, etc. Goob factor: 9.9 I can't quite beat thePerfectLine. I am super in my goobatude simply because I am uber obsessive, and it doesn't take much to push me over the edge into wallowing in another world or in my imagination. And though I make fun of LARP'ing, I've taken Airsoft to the extreme at one point in my life, which on many many levels is much worse than LARP'ing. That's the other point, I take things to the extreme and almost NEVER dabble.

You see, past a goob-factor of 10, one begins to loose grasp of reality,...not in a psychotic sense, but more in the amount of energy and effort one places on all aspects of living "not-related" to reality; ie. REAL relationships, REAL responsibilities, etc. VERSUS non-stop hobby related expended energy, wallowing in fantasy (your own or someone else's), amassing huge amounts of trivial knowledge, engaging in ridiculous and unimportant debate.

And along this same continuum, beyond Goobhood is what I would call "Geekhood" (not to be confused with the "Nerd" who, for the most part, are smart, high achieving, and successful, but could never in ANY way be seen as cool, hip, or popular). Geeks escape from reality because they lack the skills to engage it. Geeks also have a nearly autistic element to there, at times, mad intelligence...and use this brainpower for completely irrelevant, unimportant, and useless endevors (like memorizing statistics for batting avgs for switch hitters during night games on grass turf, or 4th Edition critical-hit charts). Geeks are a sad lot and almost never pass for appearing well-adjusted. Some geeks try hard to appear less geeky but geeks can't hide their geekatude like Goobers can. But to their credit, most are educated and have decent jobs/careers. Some find "she-geeks" and live near normal lives raising and propagating another generation of Geeks.

Beyond "Geekhood" is what I would call the "Freak"...and we've all run into a few of these losers. Go to a gaming convention and you will understand. Unlike Geeks, Freaks are people without the benefit of education or intelligence. To describe: they are often ludicrously dressed (typically with a talisman or totem or some sort of symbolic dress/accessory that aids in reminding themselves of their make-believe elevated station or affiliation with some make-believe society), typically have less than adequate (to horrid) personal hygiene, are in terrible physical shape, and for the most part are completely undesirable bordering on revolting to the opposite sex, excepting the equally marginalized "She-Freak". Most of these folks are seriously diagnosable and in need of some long-term therapy. They neither have the sense nor the ability to conceal their Freakhood and generally work in low paying jobs that require little to no social interaction...wow, I sound harsh, but it's TRUE!

And yes, there is something past "Freakhood"...it is a special category reserved for a particular kind of LARP'er. You see, Nerds, Goobs, Geeks, and Freaks are ALL, in varying degrees, aware of their marginalization. They've lived their lives on the fringe and most have experienced ridicule and at times even abuse. And for most, it is this environment of marginalization that has motivated folks to gravitate toward these sub-cultures and fringe communities.

But for some uber-LARP'ers, they've done an intrapsychic trick, so to speak, and turned the world on its head...in their minds, THEY are the Gods and the Prince's. They take "pretend" to a near psychotic level...they BECOME the characters they play; they receive joy, experience pain, and achieve status via the alter-ego of their own making. They walk around in the world talking, dressing, acting, and interacting as THIS character because their own lives are soo bereft and lacking...simply put, it is intolerable to be themselves so they've become someone else. And what is most pathetic is that their false narcissism and bloated sense of self-esteem has its foundation in the make-believe...they're psyche has eschewed reality. We've all seen this: the wholly unattractive whale of a woman who dresses and believes she's the beautiful Vampire Princess, the pasty goateed long pony-tailed man dressed in the cheap all black suit who believes he's some Adonis Lord of some secret society, etc.

So to end, please my Goober friends, let me not become more of a Goober than I already am.

The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel for the S4:

After months of whittling down symptom after symptom, I've finally narrowed it down to two final problems. Here is the long list of symptom and cures...mind you, ALL the symptoms existed concurrently. The evolution has been a process of uncovering and curing one symptom at a time:

1. Throttle Cut: Caused by a faulty/old Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor. Cured by swapping out a new one...picked one up for free from a trade of parts I had on hand.

2. Throttle Bucking: Caused by faulty/old Exhaust Gas Temp (EGT) sensor. Cured by swapping out both banks...PITA to R&R and expensive to boot...got a great deal through Audizine classifieds.

3. Poor gas mileage and part throttle hesitation: Caused by faulty/old primary Oxygen (O2) sensors. Cured by swapping out both primary banks...another PITA DIY and also quite expensive...another bargain found on Audiworld classified.

4. Boost surging: After several pressure test discovered it was caused by a rupture in the bank 2 Up-pipe to the throttle body. Cured with new up-pipe...easy DIY, picked up a nearly new one for free from an Audiworld brother.

5. Total engine power cut: Caused by lower intercooler hose slippage. Cured by double clamping both inlet and outlet with Zebra Hi-Torques...only an act of god will pop it off now.

6. Boost Spike beyond normal parameters, 27 psi!: Discovered with the use of the Uber AWE Tuning vent boost gauge. Cured by downloading GIAC Manual Boost Controller (MBC) program, re-flashing the ECU to accept MBC control, and lowering boost spike via lap-top to 24 psi spike to 21 psi taper.

7. 16805 and 16815 efficiency error codes: Caused by inefficient hi-flow catalytic converters. Cure...nope, I'm leaving this one for the new owner. More an inconvenience than anything else.

8. Oil Leak: Caused by cracked oil pan and old gasket and sealant. Cured by replacing oil pan, gasket, and sealant.

9. Premature Waste-gate actuation: Caused by faulty/old N75 wastegate valve. Cured by swapping out N75 valve...easy DIY and pretty cheap part, even new.

And the FINAL symptoms to square away to get the engine in tip-top shape:

- Boost fluttering at part-throttle and near WOT conditions. Don't know the cause, could by a torn wastegate line...very difficult fix, can't do this one myself, could be costly so I'm crossing my fingers.

- Leaking raw coolant: Don't know the cause, not too problematic given the coolant is RAW meaning it has not flowed through the engine. Could be due to splashing coolant in the resevoir spilling out into and through the resevoir hose.

When these final issues are resolved, the car will be put up for sale...after a couple of weeks of enjoying the motor at full bore...hehe.

Camping in Mendocino

Good times with the goober crew. Just some notes:

FRIDAY
Noon: Forgot my CD's and simply couldn't stand the idea of listening to garbage on the Radio so I swung by Amoeba Music in the Haight to pick up some Trance/Ambient. Walking into this place doesn't necessarily make me feel old, it more accurately makes me feel like a completely Un-Hip suburbanite. I'm soo out of the loop when it comes to music. I hit the info. desk and spoke to a nice guy with about 20 piercings on his face and he pointed me to another man in the "Trance/Progressive Trance" section. I walked up to a guy with a massive tattoo on his face but he said he didn't work there. A normal looking guy walked up and said he was an employee and would help me find what I was looking for. He asked me a few questions re. the style of Trance I'm into but I really couldn't answer in a way that would help him. He then said to park my ass in the listening station and he would grab stacks of CD's from different Ambient Genre's and have me listen to each of them until I found something I liked....cool.

12:30: The Amoeba employee had handed me a stack of stuff from the Orb, Future Sound of London, and a number of artist I hadn't even heard of...and more embarrassingly, from GENRE's I'd never even heard of! I settled on a hybrid Ambient and chose a CD from Flying Lotus...WOW, incredible stuff. Tribal rhythms merged with 808 frequency progressive house with highly synthesized trance melodies (or lack of melody at times). Grabbed some McNuggets and a Diet Coke next door and I was off to Mendocino.

2:00: I was really looking forward to the latter part of this drive, the 68 miles on highway 128 through the Anderson Valley. The 100 miles up 101 was uneventful and generally boring but turning onto 128 West gave me an anticipatory thrill...before the jaunt, I pulled into a truckers BBQ shack to use the facilities and tie everything down in my car. The next hour was pure bliss...the traffic was light and even the dozen or so times I had to overtake slower drivers was an exciting exercise in timing, power, and precision. The valley was hot and stuffy and the nearby fires choked the air with very heavy smoke.

3:00: Ran into the Prof. and NTT's Brain in the town of Mendocino as I was hitting up the ATM. We headed back to our campsite and I was really impressed by the beauty of the place; our site was nestled in a small valley with Redwoods running up both sides, a small brook gurgled to our left, and just ahead was the trail head. Anderson valley was 92 degrees, our campsite an hour later was 59...chilly.

4:00: Set up my little tent and bag and un-stowed my gear. Changed into my running clothes and took a run around the campgrounds. When I reached the Fern Trail head and stopped to read the sign about Mountain Lions and what to do if you meet up with one and that you should never hike solo...well, I looked around, saw that I was completely alone amid opportunities for a Puma to leap at me from behind, so, at that point I turned around and jogged the opposite direction toward the beach.

5:00: The Warden and Rave-boy and G-friend arrive and we prepared Dinner. The Warden and the GM are totally over the top with gear...they pretty much had everything most kitchens would have on hand. And we had more food than I AND NTT's Brain could eat...and that's saying alot. After gorging on steaks and meat then more steak and hot dogs then tri-tip, then someone busted out with brats, then busted out with cake and ice-cream (yes ICE-CREAM) and marshmallows then more ice-cream and beer...I was full.

8:00: The Prof is a fricken pyro. We had made a circle of chairs around our ridiculously huge fire which the Prof. would every so often douse with magnesium shavings. He would warn us not to look but I never heeded his warnings and my rods and cones were blown out with the intensity of the white light flash. We had soo much fire wood that he felt it necessary to utilize it all in one evening.

11:00: After several hours of chatting and noshing even more, we all decided to hit the hay. Being inside my tent and under the covers listening to the brook and the toads "hurmf'ing" away was really pleasant and reminds of why I love to camp. Despite my non-existent back support and lack of pillow, I fell asleep within minutes.

SATURDAY
5:00 AM I remember the sounds of rummaging and then the Wardens voice outside. Then Rave-boy joined in and it sounded as if they were getting ready to prepare breakfast. I got angry...I did NOT want to get out of bed this early so I resisted temptation to eat and buried myself further into my sleeping bag.

7:45: I woke up to the Warden finishing up cooking a four course breakfast which included pancakes with fresh strawberries, a huge omelet with several kinds of fresh veggies, bacon, and a sausage veggie hash. They had juice and a fresh pot of coffee brewed. Despite my head still being in a complete post-slumber haze, I sat down to enjoy more grub.

9:00: The Warden and I were suffering from post food binge coma and took a nap while the Prof. and Rave-boy played some miniature games and the rest of the crew hit the trail head to hike the Fern Trail loop. Rave-boy suggested I sleep in his tent, a huge 8 person tent with a frickin Aero bed and queen sized comforter. I was out in 10 minutes.

NOON: Got up to take a shower and the Prof. and I headed toward Big River Beach just south of Mendocino to build some sand sculptures. We brought 3 different shovels, a pail, and a cake icing tool. I decided earlier that I had wanted to build an Easter Island Moa but had not truly realized the amount of work involved. The Prof. and I spent a good 2 hours just building it up high enough to start sculpting. I swear, it was as big as my car...we must have shoveled a good 2 cubic yards worth of sand. The Prof. gave up toward the end fearing his further involvement would only ruin the project. After another 2 hours, it was built. The rest of the crew swung by to take pics.




5:00: Headed back to camp, changed and prepared dinner. Tonight we would have a feast to remember...and it was. Needless to say, some 3 hours later, I was again stuffed...it started with marinated tri-tip, then more tri-tip, then a cheese-burger, then a slice of lamb chop, then some rice, then more steak, then more rice, then I found a can of SPAM and ate the entire can (save a small slice that the Prof. used in a Marshmallow sandwich). We sat around the massive fire, gamed a bit, then hit the hay at around 11:00.

SUNDAY
7:00: Got up with a massive back ache. The guys were already clearing camp. They helped me out, tidied up, had some coffee and cake and orange. After our goodbye's, I hit the road at close to 11:00 and destroyed Highway 128 exploding past slower drivers in the opposite lane as if they were standing still. A black Jetta tried to keep up for 3 turns but eventually gave way considering I was a car length form his rear bumper. The ride back was even quicker the the ride up. By the time I reached 101, I was nearly out of gas.

2:00: Arrived at home, smelly, tired, and with a serious lower back ache.

All in all, I had a wonderful time. I really appreciated the fellow goobs and their generosity with all their gear and food. I'll be re-paying them in kind at my BBQ in a few weeks.

Later

Car Update...I'm getting closer...

...to getting it to run decently at WOT. Man its been a long road. Nearly 10K miles since the motor pull and all the damn work and I'm still working out kinks every week. Here's the latest:

1. Oil change, 7 1/2 qts. of Mobil OW-40 and Mobil Oil Filter.

2. Sent a sample of the oil to Blackstone Laboratories for a full analysis of its composition.

3. Finally received delivery of the Uber boost gauge from AWE Tuning:

Reads vacuum as well as boost to 30 psi. Completely bad-ass and needed for any diagnosis of trouble with forced induction motors. The thing about installation is that when the instructions say 2 hours, its safe to times that by 3. After nearly 5 hours of finagling, its in....looks great and works perfectly.

4. The problem is that after I romped on it during a 4th gear rip, I immediately realized, upon looking at the gauge, that the turbos are over-boosting...big time at that. At stage I, my old turbos at stock configuration spiked at 8 psi. At Stage II, the old turbos spiked at 15. At Stage II+, spiked at 16. At Stage III, they should spike at 21 and taper to 19. It spiked to 27 psi!!!!...then tripped the CEL (check engine light) and dumbed down the boost/air/fuel map to a 10 to 12 psi flutter. Very very bad. Immediately called my mechanic. He was dumb-founded..."you have super-turbos...they should not be able to do that..." and asked me to come in to do some work.

5. I downloaded the GIAC AWE TUNING Manual Boost Controller (MBC) software on my laptop and went into Dynospot to have them download a new adjustable tune from AWE in Pennsylvania. He decided to bring it down by 20% and I readily agreed. I took it for a spin and saw that the MBC surely DID reduce the boost spike to 23-24 psi, still quite high. The taper is now a nice 20 psi but that too has to get lowered.

6. Its like a checklist with the last issue being the boost flutter...flutters between 10-12 psi at part-throttle. I'll be logging and tracking that issue down next.

Anywayz, I'm off to do some camping this weekend with my goober friends...we're heading up to gorgeous Mendicino.

Last three blog entries have pictures now.

Just got home. Very tired, sunburned, the house smells of cat puke and shit. The little guys are alive and well. They had disbelief in their eyes as we walked in. Taking the whole day to clean up the house and yard. I'm glad to be home.

Vacation Update:

1. American tourists look ridiculous. We try very hard not to look or act like most of them. The locals in Manhattan, especially the women, look like they've just walked off a fashion runway...not to mention (and I've gotten clearance to say this) that most of the women look Amazing!

2. Haiku:

It is hot, humid
I'm sweating everyday
But my tan looks great!

3. Took the long bus ride from New York Port Authority to Doylestown. Borrowed my father-in-law's car, a Prelude SH-Type with a 5-speed manual (peppy, high-revving, nice handling), and drove to a Philly suburb to stay with my wife's sister's family; a 2 year-old niece and 4 year-old nephew. They are a complete riot and our weekend stay was loads of fun.

4. Picked up a rental car from Enterprise. My mother-in-law had a bad-ass 50% off coupon (never see those) and with a free upgrade picked up a VW GTI 2.5 with a automatic manual tranny...this car rocks! Great handling, super-smooth tranny, nice pep. Made the long drive to Rehoboth Beach, a resort beach town in Delaware.

My in-laws have a condo here. We've been here for three days now...fantastic little town. Miles of pristine beach/coast, super quaint and cute shopping, a plethora of great restaurants, and a few miles from dozens of Outlet Malls. Our days are wonderfully lazy and generally:

- Start with a morning work-out (ran yesterday) on the mile-long pier.
- 2-3 hours of lounging on the beach. Today I built a huge screaming head from sand, about 6 feet long. Had alot of passersby giving me props.

- Lunch at home (basic sandwich/salad), shower.
- Hit the outlets, purchased some new work slacks today from Banana Republic Outlet, saved 50% and Delaware has no sales tax to boot!
- Go to a swanky restaurant for dinner.
- Walk the pier at night, play some Skee-Ball and Wack-a-Mole at FUNLAND.
- Pick up some ice-cream then head home.

Beach life rocks, I can do this everyday.

Gotto get some sleep. Later....

Gotham Heat

Temp: 96 Humidity: 88%

I somewhat expected New York to make less of an impression this time around...I was wrong. This city completely lives up to every single one of your expectations and as you'd expect, I am still utterly overwhelmed by its size and scale.

We spent an entire day and night strolling through Chelsea, Greenwich Village, the West Village, and SoHo, several miles of walking.



We would stop from time to time to enjoy an ice-cold beverage or stop at one of the many little parks to cool down. BTW, I very much want to live in Greenwich Village...the West Village and the surrounding neighborhoods are some 300 sq. blocks of quaint tree-lines streets, gorgeous ivy covered Brownstones, and Federal-style townhomes. Down every street you'll find boutique store-fronts, hip and trendy restaurants and clubs, loud cafes spilling out onto the sidewalks, and people EVERYWHERE. I'm sure the weather had something to do with it but the balmy evenings made for an incredible night-life; locals and tourist alike mingling and enjoying drinks and side-walk dining. SF might have a street or two of quaint shops and restaurants but my goodness, multiply that by 100 and you'll get the idea.

Highlights of Greenwich:
- Gelato in Tribeca (where we stayed)
- Tapas and Sangria in Chelsea with a friend
- Ran into Uma Thurman and Minnie Driver in the West Village

- Washington Square Park and NYU stroll
- Porcini Pasta at Greenwich

- Margaritas in SoHo

Tues. June 10th:

5:30am: Cab ride to Oakland International.

6:00am: Checked bags, thru security lickety split.

6:55am: Boarded Jet Blue to JFK.

3:30pm: Arrived JFK early

Heat Index: 106

3:45pm: Scrambled with baggage and boarded air-train to Jamaica Queens subway station.

4:15pm: More baggage scrambling, took the "E" train to Queens. We've experienced several subways throughout the world but the NY subway, of course, takes the "cake" not only with regard to its obvious size and overwhelming complexity but more so in how it completely lives up to the reputation developed over generations of film, song, and TV...YES, its scary as hell at night, YES, its loud and the lights flicker, YES, its positively sweltering on hot days like this one, YES the stations look and feel exactly as portrayed in the "WARRIORS", etc. etc.

4:45pm: Arrived at the Queensboro Bridge station. Called the Hotel Ravel's shuttle and checked in by 5:00. Scary neighborhood, but one cool thing of note: remember the final scene in "Highlander", the sword fighting scene on top of that building with the large neon sign "Silvercup"?...well it's right outside our building.



6:00pm: Dropped off our bags, freshened up, shook my fist at god regarding the heat and humidity, and headed for Times Square via the #7 line.

6:30pm: Times Square station is an underground city. Emerged onto 42nd Street and Broadway. Ran to the TKTS ticket booth, juking like half-backs through throngs of tourists, and raced to see what remains of last minute show tickets. We were in luck and picked up a pair of Mary Poppins...what child did not love Julie Andrews and Disney!! Good seats, Mezzanine, otherwise sold-out, and 50% off.

7:15pm: Raced up Broadway with 30 minutes to eat. Dropped into a busy pizzeria and quickly enjoyed a Stromboli, pizza pie, and diet coke.



8:00pm: Watched the show. Fantastic set, extremely entertaining, ridiculously talented actors, and Mary Poppins IS Mary Poppins. She is a frickin MARVEL. Several songs brought back some great childhood memories.

11:00pm: Picked up a couple of hot sausage dogs from a street vendor when we emerged. The streets were still packed with tourists and the night gave little relief from the heat. We entered the subway to Queens.

11:30pm: Emerged into unincorporated Queens, gathered our bearings and began our 8 block trek. I imagined a black hearse rolling by with some lunatic clicking bottles from his fingertips chanting "Warriors, come out and play-yeah!" Had my sure-fire in hand and we made short work of the walk.

Temp: 86 Humidity 90%

12 midnight: Finally got to bed.

Blogging fatigue...

Sorry its been a while. Haven't had the desire to blog. Some future items.

1. Heading out to New York tomorrow. Still trying to book a cheap hotel!!...near impossible. Crazy cause we managed to purchase a room in Dec./Jan. for 135 a night and found a dozen other very nice Hotels selling rooms at around 160 to 170 a night. The SAME DAMN ROOMS are going for 600 to 800 a night!! We're looking at upscale HOSTELS now. Figure we have alot of experience in "down-scale" properties with limited amenities (as in no hot water, no AC, rooms as big as the bed, no elevators with a room on the fifth floor, etc. etc.) that we'd be okay with what amounts to as a "whole in the wall". I'm targeting Hell's Kitchen.

2. We're gonna try to get tickets for the Conan O'Brien show and definitely catch a Broadway Musical, maybe Spam-a-lot or Wicked. Having dinner with a fried of my wife's in Alphabet City, and we're touring Greenwich Village and possibly SoHo and Ground Zero if we have time.

3. Spending a weekend with my niece and nephew. Very cute kids.

4. Then spending a week at a beach condo in Rohobeth Beach. Really looking forward to some beach relaxation. We're gonna try to get a few good runs in, weather provided. They're having a heat wave right now, not OUR kind of heat wave but the 100 degree 95 percent humidity energy sapping weather I'm not in any way accustomed to.

5. The cats are in good hands with a professional cat sitter. She is your total Earth Mother, Dr. Dolittle archetype.

6. When we return, I'll be heading off to the Mendocino Coast to do some beach camping with a group of supergoobs. I'm looking forward to the drive up just as much as the camping...last long drive with the S4.

Anywayz, that's it for now. I'll try to blog on the east coast. I'll post text and then when I return, I'll be uploading images so you'll have to check back at the old posts for new pictures.

See you all soon!

Memorial Day weekend round-up

1. I've decided to sell my car, shooting for September. I can't stand it anymore. I never wanted to have to take into account ambient temperature, relative humidity, and elevation just to get her to drive properly. Nor do I want to work on any car every weekend, have her plugged into a laptop nearly all the time, and constantly researching the smallest little hiccup. I love this car and I'll be sad to let her go. I have a laundry list to items to work through to get her in tip-top shape for her sale...to make sure I get as much as I can for her. This is the list:
- New mats
- New driver's side door handle
- Fix Momo shift knob to fit properly (Done this past weekend)
- Dismantle Xenon's and align headlight beam (Done 2 weekend's ago)
- Replace license plate bulb (Done last week)
- Spruced up intake piping (Done 3 weeks ago)
- Sand, putty, paint, clear-coat, polish rear curb-rashed wheels (Finished driver's side last weekend)
- Replace side markers with Stealth clear bulbs
- AWE vent gauge (on back-order)
- GIAC boost-controller ECU update and computer software
- Replace fuel pump, mine groans
- Replace Diff fluid
- Detail her
- Take some pics and post it on Audiworld

2. GOG at local convention. See theDiscourser.blogspot.com for details. Loads of fun. The wife allowed me to stay overnight!! Hours upon hours of gaming and I had energy to go another whole day and night. Re-visited Star-Hero...WOOWOO! I paid out 159 Brownie points, YES ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY NINE BROWNIE, for one thing: for my character, an Intel Officer, to work outside the chain of command, beholding to NO-ONE but the mission and the Confederation Commander. I still don't know what trouble this might get me but it sounds like fun.

3. Returned Tuesday to the daily grind. It is safe to say that all my clients are insane; literally and not figuratively. Some if not most are functionally disabled given their psychiatric symptoms. ALL, however, have concomitant personality issues that make it very difficult if not impossible to create and maintain meaningful emotional relationships or maintain employment. Most are segregated, given their fixed income, to our most violent neighborhoods, ostracized given their bizarre behavior, disowned by their families, and isolated emotionally. They have no jobs, no family, no friends, no income, poor health, very little in the way of community, and many turn to drugs to self-medicate, and some forced into the sex industry. Many have poor decision-making skills and impulse control which invariably leads them into the forensic arena. Most have difficulty managing their psychotropic med-regimen and at times decompensate into episodes of suicidality or homicidality.

And here's the kicker: they were at one time children. It all makes sense when you read and hear their stories of abuse and/or neglect. Children in foster care or of unavailable parents, or of parents overwhelmed with their own mental illness or substance abuse. Their histories read like a primer; "How to raise a child to become and insane adult". I, like many clinicians who work in Public Health, ask ourselves everyday, "What in gods name were the parents thinking?!?" And it never ends. I speak to my wife and to theDiscourser...both can name kids that will grow up to become adults that my office will eventually have to deal with. And the disheartening aspect is that at times they already feel that it's too late for some of them. One of my wife's most important task and most basic goal is to, at the least, prevent children from having children...all the research not to mention common sense dictates that you give that unborn child a better shot at life if the parent can hold out just a couple of years.

Anywayz, I'm off to do a presentation. Gotta go.

5/18 Weekend update:

1. Attended theGM's mother's memorial service Friday. Wow, incredible woman. Working geriatrics for seven years gave me a perspective on our aged that only continues to strengthen over the years. Bottom line is our elderly are the most interesting people in the world...the young are boring by comparison. She was a hell of a woman and lived a good life, and a fascinating one to boot. There must have been over a hundred of her peers in attendance...a testament to say the least. Saw the GM's younger brother for the first time in years. Makes me wonder how fun it would be if he were still in the States rather then visiting from the Middle East. The rest of our motley gang were there as well...the group looked like a cross between the mafia and the secret service.

2. Had lunch afterwards with a few of the guys...Paella and Jubalaya are close to my most favorite foods ever.

3. Played a bit of Tekken Tag. My choices are Ogre and True-Ogre. I simply cannot be beaten!! Playing against pro's like theProfessor and Rave-Boy provided little competition...such is my utter domination.

4. Ran with the wife...boy was it hot this past couple of days. We're settling into a 3/2 for 30 minutes; 3 run/2 walk, about 2 miles. We were surprised that we could have gone a bit further but decided to follow the Galloway method and not expose ourselves to possible injury. My goal is to do 5/1 comfortably for 40 minutes, about 4 miles. Maybe by next year do 10/1 for an hour...that should be good for 7 miles.

5. Yard Work Saturday...man was it hot. Tweaked the in-line drip system, fertilized everything, laid down some anti-varmint product over the new mulch. Varmints have been using the pristine mulch as a toilet. If they want to wage war, then they will have it! I will not yield! Will not succumb! Will not stand for their little poop!

6. Gamed Saturday night at theDiscourser's...had a great turn-out. If Cajun is reading this, DUDE, when can you visit? Played some L5R. With the GM and I playing Yojimbo, we have a pretty good strategy going. Keeping our flanks protected while the heavy hitters do their work. Ate alot of the Moose's London Broil...mmmm.

7. Sunday, car work and refurbished the grill. Two of my wheels have alot of curb rash. Fixing them is a day long process of sanding with 400, then 1000-wet, then putty, then sanding again with 400, then 1000-wet, then prime, then sand with 1000-wet, then 3 coats of Wurth German Silver. That's as far as I got. I'll be 1000-wet sanding the paint tonight and spraying on some lacquer.

The Grill looked terrible. Rust has eaten away at nearly every flat surface of the rolling stand. I scraped it down with a wire brush, devastated it with a random orbiter with 80 grit, cleaned it with mineral spirits, hit it with a thick coat of primer, put two coats of high-gloss duplicolor-black thePerfectLine had lying around, and finished it off with 2 coats of hi-temp engine enamel. Looks SOO much better, and the finish should protect if from the elements. Also picked up a new bottle of propane...will be busting out some burgers tonight with the wife.

Thats it for now....

Quick 5/12 Weekend update:

1. Took my Mother out for dinner Friday. Good eats. Typical for my Mother; she barely ate her dinner and insisted I take the left-overs with me...and when I say insist, I mean INSIST. She wouldn't have it any other way. I relented to avoid an argument. Made her feel good that I did that.

2. A buddy of mine, Dorfless, has become quite a running machine. Never thought he had it in him. He's been supporting my running and encouraged me to keep trying despite my body's utter revulsion to it. He let me borrow Gallaway's Book on Running; pretty much the bible for runners. It examines and breaks down training regimens for beginners to world class runners. In a nutshell, I've been training completely wrong. I've been exposing myself to injury, and that revulsion I'm feeling is expected when training in the manner I've been for the past 2 years off and on. What it boils down to is: I give up and can't go further because I don't stop. Strange concept, huh. Even the world's greatest runners take walk or jog breaks. I haven't been. Gallaway recommends that I run at a comfortable pace, never overtaxing my aerobic capacity, until I feel a bit winded. At THAT point, I should STOP running, and walk until I get my wind back. I then keep a log detailing how long I run and walk in minutes. Even marathon runners will do what's called a 9-1 (nine minute run, one minute walk or jog). You do this for 30 minutes max, NO MORE.

Saturday, my wife and I gave it a try. Here's our log: 5/walk-stretch-6/run-4/walk-4/run-2/walk-3/run-4/walk-2/run-20/walk home. And the next day, I wasn't sore or stiff or in any pain...wow. I have a goal of 5-1 for 40 minutes by the end of summer.

3. Gamed Saturday night. Fun as hell, had most of the GoG in attendance, save thePerfectline (broken foot), theDuff (Oregon), Cajun (in the Midwest), Kawanga Kid (over seas), Mook (work), and theDiscourser (busy), and theCraftsman (caring for wife). Played Altandara with the Acupunturist as the GM. Started a new game game and looking forward to our next session. My character is theWarden, yes our friend theWarden, the man. Weird playing a character that happens to be both real and your friend.

4. Installed 60 ft. of drip line in our side yard. Connected it to the sprinkler main line. Had 19 separate 1/4 inch secondary drip lines and installed 20 1GP flood bubblers and 10 2GP mini-adjustable sprinkler heads. And the entire system is practically invisible. I buried the lines 3 inches down and all you see are the spray heads, if that!...particularly when I had them poke up from under the plant/flower leaves/petals. Took me pretty much all day and blew out my back in the process.

Thats it for now.

Re. Car Work: IT IS DONE!

at least as the motor is concerned. The last and final piece to the puzzle was a massive boost pressure leak located at the driver's side up-pipe. Here's the damage:



Apparently, the uprated silicone throttle body boot is a bit too big and doesn't allow enough clearance for the cooling fan. Over time the blades ground a hole right into it. I've pulled the boot and shaved 5 mm on intake and 5 mm on exit. That did it. As for obtaining a new up-pipe, one could buy one new for $185 but I tapped into the Audiworld brotherhood, posted a thread about my situation and several people stepped up to offer me some spares...awesome fellows. One enthusiast contacted me and said he'll go ahead and mail me a new one for free! WOOHOO! Here's a comparo.



Big difference indeed. With this done, the motor is quite possibly running better than it did when it rolled off the assembly line! Absolutely perfect...after 13 weekends and hundreds of hours under the hood, on-line research, parts purchases, I'm completely relieved.

Also tackling sprucing up the Y-Pipe. It's new but has become grimy with all the car work. I'm giving it a complete makeover and have all the tools on hand so it'll be another cost-free upgrade. Here's the process:
1. Remove and clean



2. Sand with 320 then 400 and a final 1000 wet-sand.
3. Wipe with mineral spirits and air dry.
4. Spray a coat of Duplicolor Automotive sandable primer. With the amount of heat in the engine bay the paint will need it or it'll turn a golden hue over time.



5. Spray 4 coats of Duplicolor Ultra Silver T191 allowing the requisite 15 minutes of cure in between.



6. Spray 4 coats of Duplicolor Engine Enamel DE1636 again allowing for the requisite 15 minutes of cure.
7. A light wet sand with 2000 grit and BAM, it's done.




Also have a couple of NON engine projects on the near horizon. I'll keep you posted cause I know you'll be soo interested.

Later

I see the light at the end of the tunnel...

Yes, another car entry, but WAIT. This might be the last in, I hope, a good while. After MONTHS of constant tweaking, diagnosing, and repairing, I think....No, I'm SURE I've come to the final solution. Firstly, a weekend update:

1. O2 sensors; passenger side - 18 minutes, driver's side - 5 hours of total lower back agony, busted knuckles, and sweat. It's done though. Scanned the ECU and for the first time in THREE YEARS....NO ERRORS!!!!!!! The journey to get here was certainly long and expensive enough!



2. Pressure tested the motor. Borrowed theCraftsman's Porter Cable 165 PSI air-compressor and hose.



Connected it to my AWE Tuning intake pressure tester.



Slowly increased the pressure to 25 PSI (the guide said 3 PSI is fine, but I wanted to blast it out! and my pressure tester rocks)...and VIOLA, using a stethoscope I found an 8 PSI leak!



You have to understand, that is simply MASSIVE as leaks are concerned. I determined the leak was coming out of the driver's side hard plastic up-pipe into the throttle body, the LAST place I thought I might find a leak. I plugged it with my thumb and pressure built to 25 psi and held. Looks like the leak had been there for some time too. Crazy that my mechanic and I had missed something so obvious.

I'll need to get a new up-pipe and swap it out, but for now I've sealed it as best I could with some metal tape, then heat tape, then several feet of good-ole duct tape. Should hold until I get a new APR ALL ALUMINUM BI-PIPE!



...it is the MOAB of up-pipes, the Wave-Motion-Cannon of up-pipes, the Black-Hole Bomb of up-pipes,...well you get the picture. But EIGHT PSI!...I'm surprised my car even ran at all! EIGHT PSI is over 100HP!!! I want my 120 horsepower NOW NOW NOW!!

So the car is running supremely smooth, even with the duct-tape fix. Hasn't ran this smooth since I got the car with 8000 miles on it...actually, it runs better now! Even then it pinged an error code here and there; a tiny misfire, a catalytic converter warm-up issue, etc. Now though....None. I'm crossing my fingers cause I'm tired of all the work...and I'm sure you're tired of all the car blog entries.

Later....

An excerpt from my comment to Steve's blog:

In response to his blog entry "Eco Craziness.....":

"There are a cohort of politicians and eco-activists who want nothing else than to make Americans feel uber guilty about our lifestyle. The Left is really good at it...in fact they're quite adept at making men feel guilty about being men, and white people feel guilty about being white, the blue-collar class feel guilty about having money, etc. etc. And so we have a growing demographic of folks who do as they're told with the selling point being that they feel "good" about saving the planet in the process.

YES, it's true that Americans have a horrid track record re. wasteful policies/lifestyles as it relates to all forms of limited resources.
YES, we've had entire industries throughout our history that operated with a philosophy that prioritized profit over environment.
YES, we have politicians, legislators, government, and policies that throughout our history succumb, at times willingly, to the practice of de-regulation; an attitude of expansion and growth at the expense of our natural resources and clean environment.

But it can also be said that Americans are, incrementally but steadily, moving toward change; a change in leadership that values conservation, a change in policy that regulate industry and pollution, a change in our daily lifestyle that reflects the morality in caring for our environment and a stewardship of resources of every kind.

However, our vision is soo utterly near-sighted, and speaks to the narcissism of most Americans. As the largest and oldest industrialized nation on the planet, we certainly still have problems related to the amount of trash we produce, the amount of food we eat, the amount of fuel we consume, the amount of resources we waste, the amount of pollution we cause. But here's the gist: we're coming around to making changes.

Just one example; for 2 consecutive years, we've been using less fuel..."but how come oil prices are going up!?". The answer is that we aren't the only ones on the frickin planet! Somehow we soo love to blame ourselves for everything, we've come to think we're the only ones who are at fault AND have something to lose. We can't even mention the rest of the world and how emerging nations are rapidly increasing and far outpacing the US in the amount of fuel they burn, the amount of resources they use, the amount of pollution they spew, etc.etc.

It could be said that each nation/culture must undergo the same evolution ALL industrialized countries undergo...and through this deal with all the pitfalls associated with this process that OUR country have had to deal with: pollution, lack of regard for conservation, no-checks on expanding industry, and pollution. Unfortunately, with time as a factor, we don't have the luxury nor does our environment have the patience to see each nation through this evolution.

To tell you the truth, I'm actually glad to see corporations making a buck AND going green. It certainly beats the HELL out of making a buck AND poisoning our rivers and lakes with acid rain. As the Supertechnician in Germany put it; "there are BILLIONS to be made by going green. The resistance is related to our industries and our politicians who are ill-positioned to take economic advantage." But Americans know how to make a buck (there's that cliche again), and you can see our economy moving in a different direction, one that can turn a profit while being good to our planet.

I happen to think the opposite relative to the extreme left's world view...I happen to think many Americans are quite mindful about waste, pollutions, resources, et.al. My wife and I certainly are and go to extreme lengths to make sure that we care for our planet. And given the opportunity, most Americans, if given good choices will choose green or eco-friendly alternatives if the cost differential is equivalent, and certainly will if the cost is favorable to their pocketbooks. We simply need better choices, and that's where leadership in politics and industry come into play."

Sensors, a completely uninteresting entry but a good primer non-the-less.

So, when one increases the volume of air into a motor, concomitant modifications must be made to the rest of the motor to achieve air/fuel balance. Increasing air induction without simultaneously increasing the capacity to inhale (intake) more air as well as exhale (exhaust) more air ruins engines (meaning you need larger and more robust: intake, intake manifold, MAF housing, intake piping, intercooler piping, hoses to which I have 13, diverter valves, downpipes, headers, cats, and cat-back).

Also, on the fuel side of the equation, increasing boost by nearly 180% above stock configuration necessitates an increase in the capacity to feed the motor even more fuel (meaning, typically, larger injectors, fuel rail, fuel pressure regulator, and fuel pump). Furthermore, a new ECU or program must be written to manage all the new changes.

What I've recently run into are sensor problems. In a nutshell, a myriad number of sensors (of which I truly believe I have more of then any car in existence) monitor, measure, and transmit data to the ECU. This data is electronically digested with the ECU deciding exactly how much fuel or boost pressure or timing retardation or timing advancement etc. required with regard to optimum engine performance...of course, all of it is done in milliseconds. The bottom line with sensors is when you have bad readings, it's not just an issue of poor performance...we're talking about detonation, major MPG loss, throttle cut, bucking on acceleration, all with the possibility of breaking hardware.

When an S4 undergoes a Stage III upgrade, the existing sensors often times can't cope with all the new crazy readings. The sensors might have had no problems with readings within the standard bell-curve, but we're talking outrageous outliers here. After hours and hours of research, online forum chatting, and logging and scanning of my ECU with thePerfectline's laptop VAG-COM controller, I've narrowed all the problems down to the following sensors which I've slowly over the past weeks worked on finding the best and cheapest alternatives to.

MAF: Mass Airflow Meter: measures the amount of air entering the intake. Easy to replace.



N75: Wastegate actuator control unit. Interprets boost pressure and controls when the wastegates open or stay closed. Each of those nubs connects to THREE vacuum lines EACH...yuck. Not to bad replacing, a couple of hours.



EGT Sensors (2): Exhaust Gas Temp sensor. These bad boys are a pretty penny, but are integral to optimal if not normal engine functioning. A pain in the ASS to get to. Mechanics will charge you 6.5 hours of labor for the driver and 2.5 for the passenger side...you're talking 1000 bucks if you have it done by a shop. It took me pretty much the whole weekend but I banged it out in I'd say about 6 hours total.



Coolant Temp Sensor, green top: Why? Because the motor is actually running too cool. Crazy.



And finally, O2 sensors (2) Primary: Also quite an expensive part. Dealers will AGAIN charge you 1 grand to do this job...I'm tackling it this weekend. Damn, look at all the wires.



AND I'll also be pressure testing ALL MY VACUUM LINES. You don't want to know how many the S4 has. Borrowed theCraftsman 150 PSI air compressor for the job and put together a bad-ass pressure tester for this project.

Will let you know how it all goes.


EGT Sensor.

4/19 weekend roundup:

My wife went crazy and blasted out the entire side yard. 19 different plants, spaced appropriately, mindful of the limited sunlight, soil properly amended, and a nice layer of mulch to clean it all up. Here are some before and after.




Visited The Craftsman's new son Max in the hospital. The story is long and I don't have all the details, but somehow I feel that retelling the story focuses on the unfortunate circumstances that led to this medical situation...I'd rather focus on the hopeful and would like to say he looks strong and is super cute. I am blown away by the medical support he's receiving and how much the little guy is fighting to survive...I'm definitely rooting for him and I hope and pray that all goes well.

First weekend in 6 weeks that I didn't work on my car...for more than 1 hour, I should say. Scanned the ECU for codes, pinging the usual O2 codes which I'm getting swapped once and for frickin all this upcoming weekend...purchased some Zoldman Primary O2 sensors from a connection of mine on Audizine. This weekend should be an extravaganza of car work. I'll post pics of the whole process.

7:25!!!

I repeat, 7:25....

7:25....

7:25....

It refers to a lap time. And a lap time soo utterly astonishing, it bears repeating....7:25. It is the latest recorded lap time of the new Nissan GT-R V-Spec at the Nurburgring.

Let me give you some history:

The Nurburgring in Germany is comprised of several configurations, most famously the Grand Prix F-1 circuit, and the legendary Nordschleife, a 20.8 kilometer loop. This loop represents the "benchmark test" which every car company on the planet measures it's flagship sports car against. Every major manufacturer tests on this track and it's lap times are compared against that manufacturer's competitors. Countless magazines from all over the world report these results and lap times have as much to do with bragging rights as international sales figures. How you do here means more than any ad, any endorsement, any editorial, and any column.

For YEARS the 8:00 lap time was tantamount to landing on the moon. Production cars couldn't even come close. Then in 1994 (I believe) a Nissan Skyline was said to have broke the 8:00 mark and all hell broke lose. Claims of engine modifications and the use of race-rubber were made, but the word got out that it might/could be done and the literal "race" was on.

Today, some 29 cars have been documented to have broken 8 minutes. The scrutiny is enormous. Their are timing standards to be met, press to record the event, and bystandards to witness the lap time. Here are some times to put 8 minutes into perspective:

Acura NSX 8:38
Porsche Cayman S 8:25
E46 M3 8:22
Audi RS4 8:09
WRX STI Spec C 8:06
Viper GTS 7:59
Ferrari 360 Challenge 7:56

As you can see, we're looking at Supercars now. And more:

Ferrari F430 7:55
Gallardo Supperlaggera 7:46
Murcielago 7:43
C6 Z06 7:42
Ford GT and 997 GT-3 7:42
McClaren SLR 7:41
Koeniggesgg 7:34
997 GT-2 7:32
Carrera GT 7:28
Pagini Zonda F Clubsport 7:27

The later list comprise some expensive machinery, some with plus $500,000 price tag.

So here is the clincher:

Nissan GT-R V-Spec: 7.25

AND, the GT-R is HEAVIER and has LESS HORSEPOWER and cost LESS than any sub 8 minute car!

How the HELL is this possible. It boggles the mind.

No other car in recent memory has stirred such outrage, awe, and incredulity. This past month alone, the GTR has been on the cover of no less than 12 car magazines. All the articles claim utter shock at it's track capabilities. The standard base car (and NOT the V-Spec) has recently been tested by American Road and Track at Buttonwillor Raceway. They pit it against a ZO6 and a 997 TT, ludicrously fast cars with MORE horsepower and, in the case of the Z06, some 600lbs less in weight! No chance you say? Exactly, the GT-R destroyed both cars by over 5 seconds a lap...which in a racing situation might as well be a light year. Needless to say, car enthusiasts the world round have yet to fully digest the car's utter brilliance...as I have. It has so humiliated even the most hallowed names in the Supercar Realm that it will take months for the rest of the world to catch it's breath.

Who knows, with a sports car arms race brewing on the horizon, 7 minutes just might be possible.

Weekend Summary, 4/14/08

1. It's pretty much over for the Warriors. They will be the winningest NBA team that has FAILED to make the playoffs. Good grief. I was hoping Denver would lose to Houston but the Nuggets won. That was their one chance. Now, the Warriors have to win against Shaq and Nash at Phoenix and then win their final game...meantime, Denver has to lose against the lowly Clips...argh!...pretty much impossible.

2. Finished with the taxes over the weekend. Irritating.

3. Backyard work: Mowed the lawn and basic trimming and cleanup. The grass is growing like mad. Over the winter, I mowed it twice over 3 months...now I should be doing it once a week! It's growing crazy fast.

4. Helped the wife with amending the soil in the front lawn. She's gone insane and purchased half the nursery. I should add that it all looks fantastic.

5. Worked out. Still doing my new circuit training routine. Lifting more weight than I've lifted in about 10 years...but I need abit more rest in between.

6. And you guessed it, CAR WORK. Washed, vacuumed, and waxed the car. Looks soo sweet. I absolutely luv my car. Installed a new N75 Wastegate Actuator Sensor...little details.

Thats it for now.

The Party is over....almost.

The Golden State Warriors lost tonight against the Denver Nuggets. It was as close to a MUST WIN game as it can get. Both teams are tied for 8th place in the division with 4 games remaining. Unfortunately, Denver has the tiebreaker in their favor so the Warriors not only needed to win this game but win their remaining games in order to ensure a playoff spot. With the loss, they're one game back with three to play, and even if they were to run the table, Denver would have to lose two of the next three... and when you look at their remaining games, all against sub .500 teams, it really looks quite dismal for the Warriors.

What an incredible year in the West...It will be the first time in the modern playoff system that a 50 win team FAILS to qualify advancement into the post-season. The level of play in the West is completely absurd. Think about it; a 50 win NON-playoff team in the West could conceivably be a THIRD SEED with home-court advantage in the playoffs in the Eastern Conference! It's positively heartbreaking for the Warriors. NEVER NEVER NEVER has a 50 win team FAIL to make it in...It's like when the Giants failed to make it into the post season with 103 wins in 92...103 frickin wins and you DON'T make it into the post-season!

I'm bummed and will sign-off for now.

Weekend report.

FRIDAY: Visited San Ramon.

My lord, you have to see this town folks. New San Ramon is a sight to behold. Get off at Crow Canyon Exit off of 680 and head east past the green (it's Spring) rolling hills, archetypal California geography. Past old Black Hawk (I believe) you will enter into a brand new city...a completely new planned community. I'd say it was about two to three times the size of Foster City. The streets, and I'm not kidding, are wide enough to land a jumbo jet...it's crazy given they're only using 2 lanes. The perfectly manicured grass, pure black asphalt, and snow white and extra wide sidewalks look more at home at a movie set. They must have several dozen brand spanking new subdivisions, all with pleasant sounding soothing names like Windermeer, Peach Grove, Aubrey Glen, etc. The homes are just gorgeous to look at, all hearkening back to several classic architectural styles; Mission, California Bungalow, Spanish, Southwestern. I estimate that each are no less than 4000 sq.ft. It's so big that they built several new schools and shopping areas to accommodate the several thousand new residents. I'm telling you, the city is soo new, the local High School, which is positively HUGE BTW, have filled only their 9th and 10th grades.

The thing with the city though is that it's scale seemed designed for the SUV generation where Bigger is Better. The streets and sidewalks and homes and malls and parking spaces and driveways and garages and fountains and bus stops....ALL over sized and unnecessarily big...and they're still building. It's as if the engineers and developers deny the fact that we're in a housing/mortgage mess, that Global Warming has demanded that we be more mindful about the cost of development, heating, and cooling. You see this place and you wouldn't think that we (Californians and Americans alike) have any issues regarding conservation of resources...I mean my goodness, do they really need all that grass in the median the size of a football field! and that ludicrous oversized fountain! I'm kinda torn because the developers have really tapped into my subliminal desire to live in a town with these set of elements. It really feels safe and clean and wealthy and cozy. I suppose they've done a good sales job.

SATURDAY: TheDiscourser's B-day and gaming.

We really pulled one on theDiscourser. He had NO frickin clue about his surprise B-day Party. His wife did a fantastic job putting it together without him getting even the slightest whiff of the subterfuge. Afterwards, the GoG goobers headed over to theDiscourser's homestead and gamed into the night. Fun times.

SUNDAY: Car Work...what did you expect?

Disassembled the intake just so that I can access the EGT, exhaust gas temp sensor, Bank 1, driver's side. Had some problems, yet again. It's safe to say that every problem I've run into when I've done car work have ALWAYS been related to NOT having the right tools. Again, thanks to thePerfectLine for his six foot tall tool chest, but even he didn't have an 18mm Crow's foot. Had to buy the whole set at my local Autozone. After slapping the Crow's foot onto the end of a wobble head and two long extenders for my 1/4 in ratchet, viola, what I couldn't do in two hours of knuckle breaking work was done in 3.5 seconds. The new EGT is in and the car runs crazy strong, like a new car actually. I'm holding the requested 24 PSI boost but DAMMIT, I'm still seeing boost oscillation. I guess it is the N75 wastegate controller module. At least the part is cheap and even easier to get to. Will fill you in later.

Ah, the joys of owning an S4.

So I've replaced the old MAF Sensor with a new one from Avalon Motorsports. The owner is a really good guy, bought a couple of things from him when the S4 went Stage III and he's trying to rebuild Avalon's reputation...he's the second owner. Sold a new one at re manufactured price...$165, normally $265.

So I put the MAF sensor in, scanned the car, logged it at 2nd and 3rd gear and VIOLA...same surging and bucking symptoms...nothing has changed!! I vented on Audiworld and got reassurance from 2 dozen fellow S4 owners from all over the world. Gave me some advice and started to rundown a new checklist.

1. MAF: not the problem

2. N75: not the problem (yet). The surging is due to "Implausible readings" relative to intake and exhaust gas temperature and NOT waste-gate flutter.

3. Boost leak: so far so good, boost holds up to 12 psi without bleed

4. N75 waste gate actuator hoses: look great, replaced a couple of clamps for good measure, I have a dozen Zebra high-torques lying around anywayz.

5. Misfire counter bank 1 and 2: Vag-scoped and logged misfire recognition on every cylinder, drove it around the block...and I have NO misfires, which means good plugs, good gapping, good coil packs

6. Coolant Temp sensor: I have an extra lying around, one set for a lower temp trip and the other set at OEM, and tested each. Again plugged it into the Vag laptop and it reveals no ground to shorts, all data within normal limits.

7. FINALLY, checked EGT, or Exhaust Gas Temp Sensor Bank 1 and Bank 2: The CEL light came on at 2nd gear WOT, major bucking and throttle cut! One error code emerged;
17863 - Exhaust Gas Temp Sensor 1 (G235): Implausible Signal
P1455 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent
STFA'd audiworld DIY and after major research and some forum support I believe I've found the culprit. This sucker saps 30% of power, trips "limp home mode" and at intermittant, re-maps...I've actually never seen a desired 24 PSI spike!...16 max.

So I'm looking to buy a new passenger side EGT sensor. Brand new they run $315 for one!..thank goodness I don't have to replace Bank 2...and after looking up the dealer suggested labor rate of 1.5 hours, your looking at an extra $150 to $175!...yikes.

But again, I've gotten a little lucky. I posted my OLD MAF at Audiworld and found a buyer with a Bank 1 EGT that would settle for a trade!!...WOOHOO!! I'm getting rid of my old OEM MAF sensor for a new EGT! He's having the same problem I'm having except in reverse...tried EGT, symptoms persisted, now looking for an MAF. I've researched a couple of DIY's and it looks like I'll be able to bang out the job myself without any problem (knock on wood). In the end, I won't be spending anything extra, what a relief...and I'll FINALLY have the desired 24 PSI spike with 18 PSI taper.

As for other items to report, been doing some major side yard work with the wife. We have what essentially is a 40 ft x 2 ft flower/plant box on the side yard along the slate walkway. It's been a kitty litter box for the local cats and a weed farm for the last year. My wife wants to ready it for a bunch perennials. What we've done so far:
- Pulled weeds
- removed several buckets worth of rocks and stone
- broke loose the hardened soil...bought new bad-ass pick
- raked it level
- evened the elevation
- purchased 5 bags of amendment
- and yesterday, started to till in the new amendment...back breaking work man.

Today after work, I'll be continuing with the amendment, tilling, and afterwards the wife will be planting the dozen of so plantings, laying down a weed barrier between the flowers/plants, and laying down some ground cover bark to fill in the spaces in between. Should look really nice. I'll post a pic. At some point, I'll have to pull out the old sprinkler heads and replace them with a drip line.

Thats is for now...

The week so far...

Sorry for all the round-ups. Didn't have time to do some regular blogging.

1. Just got back from my sister and her family in LA. Drove down with my wife and my parents. The S4 was mechanically in as good as a condition as it has been for quite some time. One problem though, my mechanic didn't have the condenser switch in stock so my car won't have A/C for another week. Note: driving through the Central Valley without A/C is a heat-stroke waiting to happen. My parents didn't seem fazed, and my Mother, in particular, has the constitution of a Saharan Camel. I swear, this women couldn't sweat in a sauna. My tee shirt was soaking however...I suppose it has something to do with my fan vents blowing 82 degree wind onto my face.

2. Made the 392 mile trip in 298 minutes, with traffic in LA AND a gas/restroom stop at the Grapevine. My personal psychology will not allow ANYONE to pass me on the freeway...I somehow take it personally...I need therapy. NOTE: I did allow one guy in a Chrysler 300 to pass me while flying up the grapevine. My passengers did not seem all too fazed by extreme speed in perfectly open and endlessly straight roads...but I didn't want to freak them out taking turns at speed...soo despite my need to pass the 2 fools in the Hemi, I allowed them to pass me...they must have been doing 140. The driver seemed utterly determined to pass everyone despite the curves, the traffic, and the long line of semi's creeping up the pass at 30 mph. A couple of miles later, we hit some traffic. I slowed and rubbernecked for the cause. We looked to the right of the road and saw an Audi S6 and the Chrysler 300 spun out and up on a grassy embankment...they all seemed fine, their cars looked only slightly banged up and I laughed with satisfaction...my passengers looked at me.

3. With great shame I admit that I (and my wife) are big American Idol fans. This year we haven't watched it as much and aren't at all acquainted with the new batch of Idol wannabee's. Last year my wife signed up for tickets and after 12 months we received word via e-mail that we had tickets for this week's batch of shows...perfect timing. We signed up for the Tuesday nights show and my wife and I brought my sister and mother (a big-time Idol fan) to come along. We had to dress appropriately and stood in several very long lines at the CBS studios. While we were there, the audience of "the Price is Right" was heading out, and "Dancing with the Stars" was heading in. In a nutshell, we had a blast. My wife and I have attended several TV shows as audience members in this past but we were still quite blown away by the amount of work and bustling that goes on behind the cameras. The show itself was quite good. We stood in the area between the judges and the stage. Mind you, I'm not the demonstrative type when it comes to music. I'd much rather sit and watch quietly, but the audience managers were very skilled at getting us to behave like riotous teens...even my mother got into the hand waving action.

All the singers sang relatively well save Chikeze, or should I say "Cheesy" Chikeze, and the leggy blond who survived yet another week by appealing to Southern Country-music listening Conservatives with her rendition of "I'm Proud to be an American". I can say without question that the background singers sing better than the Idols, AND the quality and talent of the Band impress me more than does the contestants.

4. Gaming last weekend was hilarious. I can honestly say I have the strangest rolling 20 sided die...WITHOUT QUESTION. It pretty much rolls either 1's or 20's...and thats about it. In other words, you either gloriously succeed or critically fail. I've had to roll that die a dozen times during this last couple of sessions and it has rolled SIX, yes SIX 1's, and THREE 20's! I let the GM roll the die and he has rolled TWO 1's and 1 20. I let Rave-boy roll the die during a game and it rolled ONE 1, and a couple of 2's and 4's. It can't be all statistical aberrations...I think the die is cursed.

5. I'm back at work today and am overwhelmed with phone calls, voic-mails, e-mail's, and client crisis. Thinking about it, I think I should get back to work....

A little addendum to my last post.

From James Fallows of the Atlantic...his take on Rev. Wright and Obama and, of all people, Mike Huckabee:

Two people have now elevated themselves thanks to Rev. Wright and his tirades.

One, of course, is Barack Obama.

The other is Mike Huckabee, who (as I see via Andrew Sullivan and others) dared speak as a human being rather than as an on-message apparatchik in his comments about Obama and Wright. More specifically, he spoke as a "hate the sin, love the sinner" Christian, as a preacher who has delivered extemporized sermons of his own, and as a white product of the segregated South who did not blind himself to how that world would look if he were black. Consider and be in awe of this:

And one other thing I think we've gotta remember. As easy as it is for those of us who are white, to look back and say "That's a terrible statement!"...I grew up in a very segregated south. And I think that you have to cut some slack -- and I'm gonna be probably the only Conservative in America who's gonna say something like this, but I'm just tellin' you -- we've gotta cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told "you have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie. You have to go to the back door to go into the restaurant. And you can't sit out there with everyone else. There's a separate waiting room in the doctor's office. Here's where you sit on the bus..."
And you know what? Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and resentment. And you have to just say, I probably would too. I probably would too. In fact, I may have had more of a chip on my shoulder had it been me.

Actual honest and empathetic discussion about race...! We've come to expect that presidential campaigns will be the equivalent of World War I trench slaughter, in which there is a "winner" at the Somme but really everyone loses and it's a matter of who is farthest from being bled dry at the end. But the idea of actual discourse about real issues -- it would be nice to think that it could happen.

Car and House and Politics:

So I've been working on the car recently, here are the details that I'm sure you'll be soo interested to know about.

1. GY F1GSD3's 91Y's are mounted and balanced.

2. Lower pan removed, shaved, replaced gasket. Upper pan removed and gasket replaced. New filter, 7 QT's of MOBIL1 0W-40 Synthetic in.

3. Cam Tensioner gasket and plug removed and replaced.

4. New HITACHI Mass Air-flow sensor on order and will be in by this Friday for replacement. The new sensor should cure the Requested vs. Actual boost surge issue.

5. New N75 2 Bar wastegate controller on order and also should be in tomorrow. This should finally cure the pressure/boost bleed and premature actuation issue.

6. Appointment today to get my Air-Con recharged. Hope there isn't a pressure leak in the compressor housing.

And the car should be ready for the long drive south to LA. To tell you the truth, these issues could have been resolved later and none of them would have, even in the most minute way impact the S's ability to survive the trip....so for me, its about the car being in tip-top shape. It's been a long road and I'm really happy to get these nagging issues behind me.

I still have a clunking in the steering that according to my mechanic, at this point at least, is at best an irritating yet not major (or life-threatening) issue.

Wish List:
1. AWE Intercoolers and shrouds
2. APR Silicone Intercooler hoses and clamps
3. Stop-Tec BBK 335 MM front caliper and Stop-Tec hatted cross-drilled rotors, front
4. Superlaggera's 18x8's
5. Stasis Track-sport Coil-overs, 750/650 F/R spring rates

Got to do some tree-trimming this past weekend. The crab apple trees are blossoming beautifully...hated to trim them but it really needed to be done. We purchased a gorgeous new dining table with matching chair and bench set. Has a built in leaf and can expand to 84'. It really fills up the space even without the leaf and will be perfect for gaming.

I've contacted the Warden and he'll be building us a new computer in a couple of months. Talking to the Warden about building a computer is like talking to me about tweaking a motor...I have no idea what he's saying and nearly everything he's recommending is complete overkill IMO. But the good news is that the computer won't crash everytime we ask is to do more than three things at one time!

As for Politics:

BTW, you know when you've chosen the right candidate when he's receiving flak from both ends of the political spectrum...such is the degree of outright desperation from the established political camps when they see a candidate that reject extremism of all kinds and from BOTH ends. I appreciated his candor in his response to Rev. Wright's outrageous comments, and more so I believed it was THE defining speech in his campaign; he absorbed the criticism, validated our concerns, denied he shared the Rev's views, never side-stepped or spun, but in fact CHALLENGED us to talk about RACE in a meaningful way. His candor about his own experience was refreshing, and what I appreciated most was that his speech was delivered with the expectation that those who were listening were intelligent adults...a far cry from our current President who speaks to Americans as if we were bunch of morons. He laid out Race in a way that no other legitimate presidential candidate has in quite some time...and he bursted our little bubbles about our belief that discontent and resentment no longer exist.

And re. the Rev.'s beliefs, here's a little hint: these beliefs are neither NEW or localized...they are prevalent especially among that generation, and according to the dozens of articles and interviews of black ministers following the release of the video, it is a resentment that sprang from generations of slavery, exploitation, and segregation. This kind of resentment EXISTS as much as the resentment on the other side which sprang from race-quota policies, affirmative action policies, and the assumption and accusation of a "white privilege" that seem completely unfounded to soo many struggling white people. You want to talk about race, then lets bring the discussion out into the open as he did. Are people so naive as to think these feelings aren't held by a good number of good people...even his own grandmother, or our grandfather, or our father, or our Pastor, or Priest, or even OURSELVES. Are we so naive as to think that our own hearts aren't in the slightest bit stained by resentment, fear, and anger.

And in the end, he concluded with an undeniable fact...that even if you were to accept the hateful World as described by his own Pastor, you cannot deny that within his Pastor's OWN congregation, a Black man has come forward to rise as Candidate to the Presidency...that his own existence is, in and of itself, a DENIAL of Rev. Wright's beliefs; and that despite our shameful past, we as a nation have come this far; that this Candidate represents the fruit of the labors of the generations that followed Lincoln and Martin Luther King; and that we can simultaneously acknowledge how far we need to go and celebrate how far we have come.

Weely Roundup....3-13-08

Sorry it's been awhile since my last post. I guess I'll just do a round-up of sorts.

1. Heading down to LA during Easter break with my wife and parents to pay my sister and her family a visit. Looking forward to kicking back with my family, exploring LA, eating alot, and swimming in there backyard pool. The only thing is that I'm driving the S4 down so I'd like to iron out some nagging issues and get the car prepared for the drive.

2. S4 issues: Got new GYF1 GS-D3's 91Y's in from Tire-rack, and the good news is that they were on sale. I'm getting them balanced and mounted next week. Also pulling out the lower AND upper oil pan, draining the oil, scraping off the old gaskets, and replacing them with a new gasket set. I have all the parts but I won't be doing the job...my take on car work is, I'll do work on the "top" and "sides" of the car, but I avoid the "bottom", so my mechanic at Dynospot will be doing it for me.

Also did a 3rd gear rip Vag-Com log and discovered that my fuel pump is in fact not faltering...the surging and air/fuel mixture issues are related to a failing MAF (mass air flow meter) and N75 waste-gate controller valve. In a nutshell, the car is pulling in sooo much air that the MAF, which reads the amount of air running thru the motor, is having difficulty understanding the increased volume of air. Furthermore, the N75 waste-gate controller, which is rated to 1 Bar, has difficulty handling the increased boost pressure...it's bleeding boost and opening prematurely. The good news is that they're easy fixes...they're on "top" of the car and easy to get too. The down-side is the price for uprated units. I'm looking into the cost now. The "clunking" in the steering will be diagnosed by my mechanic next week and I'll be doing the rear brakes when I return. I think the car will be in very good shape for the trip down...think 400 miles in under 4 hours...hehe...I've done that pace twice before. At one stretch, the car touched 135MPH with my wife reading a novel in the passenger seat. She noticed the exhaust bellowing, glanced at my speedo and pointed out "Uh, do you know we're doing over 130?".

3. Backyard looks good. The leaves are coming back on the crab-apple trees. The grass is coming in nice and green, but patchy. It actually looks best right before spring...I believe it has to do with the fact that they get alot of sun given the lack of leaves on our trees. When the leaves come back, the grass won't see the same amount of sun and my constant battle to keep is looking good will return. The wife has planted a ton of annuals and perennials all over the place....also planted an asparagus fern and tended to a line of Iris'. It all looks great. The deck is looking worse every day so I'll be looking into stripping out the old peeling stain and laying down a fresh coat in the summer.

Our trees grow immensely fast, especially the pittosporum and crab-apple. I'll have to spend one weekend day trimming the hell out of them or our backyard will turn into a dark jungle.

Discovered that the gazeebo over the hot-tub is literally falling apart...the corners have detached themselves, screws have fallin out, and nails have rusted to dust. I have large zip-ties up as a temporary fix. It'll hold until we decide what to do...I guess we should be pleased that it's lasted as lond as it did.

4. Attended our HOA's meeting last night and I've decided (with some prodding on the part of my wife) that I should run for a seat on our Board. I'll be bringing in a "New Vision" and will govern and enforce our regulations with an iron-fist. I'm eyeing the CFO and Vice-Presidency position...I'm a shoe-in given my 14 Charisma and 11 COM...hehe.

5. Played some good-ole D&D last saturday at theDiscourser's wife's school. The Acupunturist ran "Tomb of Horrors", a 30-year old module. Real fun despite the fact that playing D&D is like driving a Model-T Ford...it's system is that outdated. Alot of the other uber-geeks were in attendance.

6. My wife bought our tickets to New York. We'll be spending a few days exploring the city in June. Afterwards, we'll be hangin out in a condo in a beach town on the Delaware coastline with her family and my niece and newphew...should be good fun.

We'll have to fly back to Washington in October for a wedding and probably back to Philly at Christmas. I really want to get some car-camping and back-packing in this year so I'd better sit down with the GM at some point to take a look at our schedules.

7. Work is more and more frustrating. I can really go on and on here but then I think about theDiscourser's plight and realize education has it a lot worse. I wanted to see State Legislators increase the tax rate with respect to our states' oil companies. It would go a long way to bridging education's huge budget shortfall. A bill was proposed yesterday but the vote came down across party lines...Thank you yet again Republicans. Nunez, a state legislator, put it best yesterday when he spoke to the State Assembly..."our school's have bake sales to pay for disappearing school programs, and yet we continue to 'kiss the asses' of our rich oil companies....where are our priorities?". Republicans responded, "It's not fair to put the burden of this state's budget crisis on the backs of hard-working people"....Is it just me, or is that retort the most ridiculous attempt at spin for sympathy that you have EVER heard. Is it not true that last year, EXXON and CHEVRON pulled in the largest yearly profits EVER for ANY company EVER...and yet we continue to subsidize rich companies with tax breaks!!

This is certainly NOT an issue of "redistribution", rich-vs-poor, socialism vs. capitalism. This is a MORAL ISSUE...a "right vs. wrong" issue. And yet we've been duped by the Right to think that they are the moral majority...what a bunch of hogwash. End rant.

Gotta get back to work...talk to you again soon.

Lingering S4 issues...

So the laundry list continues. The good news is that the motor hasn't thrown a single code since it's last check-up...and that has never happened before. So it's safe to say that the motor is running decently. However, I've been logging IAT (intake air temps) and AFM (air fuel mixture) and seeing some significant ineffiencies that don't show up in day to day driving...only when I'm on boost and WOT. So here's my list of to-do's in order of priority:

1. Fix nagging oil drips by replacing the lower oil pan gasket (already have the parts)

2. While I'm at it, replace the upper oil pan gasket (I have the parts)...yes, Audi's have two oil pans...why? I have no idea. I have to remove the lower endlinks and front sway bar to get to it.

3. Replace the valve cover gaskets. Easy job but I have to take alot of parts out to get to the damn thing.

4. New rear tires, again, GY F1 GSD3's 91Y's in 225 40 17's. Love these tires.

5. Still getting a "clunking" in the steering and suspension coming from the driver's side. The "thumping" I experienced was diagnosed and cured when I replaced the control arms and tie rod ends. I checked the bolts on the coilovers...good...and the three bolts holding the steering rack...all were good. And the last bolt required the car to be on jackstands and for me to attach three extensions and a wobble head to get to! I'll need my mechanic to look at this problem. I hope the fix doesn't involve a steering rack replacement. I suppose I can get a refurb for cheap and do the job myself but after I looked at the DIY, I almost puked and am considering Dynospot do the job for me.

6. Replace rear brake pads and garnet sandpaper my old rotors. They still have some life to them.

7. New Walboro fuel pump. My OEM pump simply can't handle the increased injector request. My air fuel mixture is off tolerance past 4500RPM so a higher flowing unit typically cures this problem. Walboro's cost around 250, not bad, but the DIY is a killer. I have to pull the rear seats, jimmy-rig a tool to unfasten the old unit, and splice some wiring...YUCK! Maybe I can get thePerfectline or The Craftsman to help out.

8. New intercoolers. My OEM's are rated at 8 PSI...I'm running a 22 spike. Here we have a number of choices. Folks are of two minds re. this modification. One camp holds the belief that bigger is best, meaning the lowest intake air temp means your intake is receiving the most dense air...more power, less heat, better for the motor, no crazy timing corrections, etc. Others, like myself, believe that an intercooler is simply a frickin heat-sink; increased cost is simply a bling issue IMO. So my choices are (from most expensive):
- Evolution Racing intercoolers $1600 Massive side mounts, tested to 50 PSI! Eliminates the need for lower intake hoses (awesome), intakes are now hard piped units.
- ASP Front mount intercoolers $1500 Huge, the MOAB of front intercoolers. Requires modification to your front bumper it's so big.
- AWE Tuning $1400 Huge side mount units. Best fitment, finely crafted, comes with shrouds, and a warranty.
- APR $1200 These are standard units from the RS4, no need for shrouds, and comes with specially designed silicone intake hoses you can get for 250. The hoses are totally bad ass. I'd love to get just these! ThePerfectline exploded one of mine and I've popped off my old hoses several times. These hoses are simply awesome. The Intercoolers, on the other hand, are simply so-so.
- IPP $800 Cheap knock-offs. The designers simply challenge their competition to prove them wrong. These guys do not believe that bigger is best, or even necessary!
- EBAY $300-$400 IPP knock-offs from Korea. I love these guys. Same intercooler cores as IPP and same welded endtanks you find in units costing 4 times as much. I'm probably heading in this direction. They're sufficiently bigger and flow much better than my OEM.

And as to my wish list:

1. New wheels. I've found some TSW's that look fantastic, offer a reduction on unsprung weight of nearly 3.5 lbs per corner even at 18x8's, and are cheap. FLIK's are cheap as hell but I simply can't stand the way the look...and they're just as heavy as stock in 18x8's.

2. New front brakes; calipers and rotors. Don't believe in the need for matched rear brakes or massive 8 piston ALCON's...I'd be happy with Stoptec's or even Porsche brakes if someone is getting rid of them.

3. New Coilovers; only one choice in my opinion, Stasis Track Sports...nuff said. Among the hundreds of thousands of Audi's the world around, Stasis' superiority is unquestioned.

Thats is for now.

A Death in my Family...

My Grandmother, Inang, was born on August 30th, 1910 in Tarlac, Philippines: the third of six daughters. Inang emerged as the most practical of the six, as well as a tomboy of sorts. She preferred buying and selling onions and hay (animal feed) to earn more money for her family instead of the boring and less lucrative job of seamstress, the common career of young woman in rural Philippines.

At age 19, she married my Grandfather and started a family. After having her third child, the Japanese invaded then occupied her country. My Grandfather went underground and worked in the resistance. He was later arrested, interned, and suffered horrendous treatment for the remainder of the occupation. During the war, my grandmother took her family to Sta. Rosa where she struggled, scraping by and at times scavenging to survive. After the Philippines were liberated, my Grandparents reunited and resettled in San Jose, where her incredibly industrious nature and wise business acumen helped develop two grocery businesses and a rice distribution center, which still stands today.

Inang went on to have seven more children and in 1974 left home, husband, family, and country to immigrate to the US with my sister and me. After helping raise us, she moved to help raise four grandchildren in San Mateo. Then she moved to Tahoe to help raise another grandchild and then a great grand child. She stayed in Tahoe to care for a beloved aunt who fought and eventually succumbed to cancer. Inang then moved back to the Bay Area to help raise two more grandchildren.

She petitioned a dozen family members to immigrate to America and was there to proudly celebrate her many grandchildren’s college graduations, weddings, and the births of many great grandchildren.

She left us last Thursday Feb. 14th at the age of 97. Her family was with her the night she passed. Subsequently, my family has had four days of get-togethers, a wake, a vigil, a Mass, and finally a Funeral yesterday. Family have come from as far as the Philippines to pay their respects to our family Matriarch. She leaves the world with 10 children, 25 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

Over the past several days, my family have reminisced and celebrated an incredible life. Despite her small stature, Inang was true Rock of a person. We all half expected her to out-live all of us...I personally wanted her to live forever. She is the kindest person I will ever meet, the most devoted grandmother I will ever know, and her legacy of personal sacrifice is one that will continue to inspire us for the rest of our lives.

I will miss her and will never forget her.

Karl Rove is a desperate man.

Mr. Rove, former senior political/campaign advisor to the current Bush Administration, was interviewed by CBS News on Saturday and was asked about the overwhelming turnout of voters in the Democratic primaries, relative to the Republican primaries, and whether he believed it might be a trend that would eventually prove insurmountable by the time the national election rolls around.

His answer was calculated and at it's core a feeble attempt at spin. Mr. Rove negates the inordinately large turnout on the democratic side, which according to estimates looks to be nearly 60% higher than the Republican primary voter turnout, as being a phenomenon typical in election years following lame-duck presidents. Furthermore, he stands his ground in his belief that the most conservative elements of the Republican party has yet to make it's statment and stand. Nice try Mr. Rove. It would be easy to say that this guy is delusional...but it is far worse than that. I believe that Karl is in fact a "true-believer", a conservative who actually believes in his heart that the "majority" in our country ARE conservative and that their time will come.

I, however, see it as the writing on the wall. When all is said and done, Mr. Rove will receive a lesson in humility...that the largest demographic in this country by far is not either Democrat or Repuplican, or conservative or even liberal. They are folks that fail to vote, who for 40 years have had NO VOICE...and that these people are not either gun-totting fundamentalist's or Birkinstock wearing flower-children. They are the people who want a new brand of politic, and it is THIS demographic that will determine the presidency.

Mind you, the turnout represent a huge number of folks who are self-described Non-Partisans and Independents...folks who've had limited involvement and history in voting. The turn-out, however, is not a referendum on the Bush Admin, or even the Republican party. It is a referendum on the current status quo,...on politics in general.

Mr. Rove diminishes the importance of this movement as being "typical"...TYPICAL? A woman and a black man vying for the nomination is "tyical"?! They say you're smart Karl, and your ability to spin knows no bounds but in this case your more wrong than you have ever been and I'm going to love hearing how you spin your way out of this one.

Addendum to my last post:

There's a reason why we've had the consistent trend of nearly 60% of Americans failing to vote and why we're seeing a massive turn-out this time around. I trully believe it has to do with a sense of disenfanchisement, the notion that the politicians paraded before us year after year fail miserably at representing the values and beliefs of the majority. For whatever reason, whether you believe it has to do with the whittling effect of the most extreme elements in either party, or with out-of-control lobbying, or with over-zealous special interest groups, or with big-money, our parties have polarized to such a degree that most in the middle, and that's MOST of us, are left without a voice, and without a leader...the political DMZ is a lonely place.

As to the Democrat and Republican political platforms?...well, it hasn't changed much in 35 years. Different face, same message...it simply never changes. When I see someone who challenges the status quo, inspires the disaffected and disenfranchised into action, who operates NOT on the old and tired "rich vs. poor", "black vs. white", "community vs. individual", "big governement vs. small", "tax vs. spend" philosophy, I get interested. When I hear someone that instead acknowledges our shared interests, our common dreams, and our unilateral concerns, I get inspired. When I hear someone that believes that compromise is not tantamount to failure or weakness, that we are all in the end Americans, that we must look past our ideology to get anything accomplished, then I'm sold.

The political idealogues of the past generation have destroyed political discourse in this country. We need to move beyond the notions of established political platforms. We need a new vision...a new brand of politic. One that doesn't pit one group vs. the other. One that is inclusive of our differences, one that unites the nation, both Democrat and Republican, both liberal and conservative. And that voice must come not from the extreme, but from the center. It's the only way.

Super Tuesday!

What an exciting time in American politics. We will have, for the first time, a major political party endorsing either a Woman or African-American man for candidacy to the Presidency...soo cool.

As you all know, I love politics; talking about it, reading it, and discussing it. I've come to discover over the years that I am quite decidedly moderate, though a "practicing" Democrat. I've also come to understand that the extreme polarization of political ideology, post the 60's, have given rise to a devision between the parties that seem insurmountable...wherein your political designation enters one into a pseudo religion of sorts. Conservatives accusing liberals of being traitors, as to suggest themselves as Patriots...Liberals calling Conservatives compassionless hate-mongers, as to suggest themselves as the progressive tolerant party...etc. etc...and it goes on and on. Well we've all been duped folks, cause all of it is bullshit.

Despite the political rhetoric over the last 30 some years, most folks remain moderate...and I truly believe that. I might be going out on a limb here but..."drum roll"...not all liberals are tolerant, and conversely, not all conservatives are anti-abortion, etc.etc.etc...you fill in the blanks.

"Whatever the explanation, the lines between Republican and Demorcrat, Liberal and Conservative, would be drawn in more sharply ideological terms. This was true, of course, for the hot-button issues of affirmative action, welfare, abortion, etc, all of which were extensions of earlier battles. But it was also now true for every other issue, large or small, domestic or foreign, all of which were reduced to a menu of either-or, for-or-against, sound-bite-ready choices. No longer was economic policy a matter of weighing trade-offs between competing goals of productivity and distributional justice. You were for either tax cuts or tax hikes, small government or big government. No longer was environmental policy a matter of balancing sound stewardship of our natural resources with demands of a modern economy; you either supported unchecked development, drilling, strip-mining, and the like, or you supported stifling bureaucracy and red tape that choked off growth. In politics, simplicity was a virtue."

Furthermore, re. the nature of today's politics, "Politics was no longer simply a pocketbook issue, but a moral issue as well, subject to moral imperatives and moral absolutes. And politics was decidedly personal, insinuating itself into every interaction."

"Not only did we disagree, but we disagreed vehemently, with partisans on each side of the divide unrestrained in the vitriol they hurled at opponents."

Activists in both parties began developing litmus test, checklists of orthodoxy, leaving a Democrat who questioned abortion increasingly lonely, and Republican who championed gun control effectively marooned. Where compromise came to look like weakness, to be punished or purged. Where one was with you or against you. You had to choose sides.

No longer do we have competing policy vision between the parties, instead, it has become a WAR between "good and evil", depending on where you stand. And where you stand is my point. I, like most people, stand somewhere in the middle...and I want a president that does the same. What we have lost sight of is that we have more in common with each-other than we have differences. And I want to vote for a candidate who believes that though we can disagree, we do not have to be disagreeable.

I think you've figured out who I'm routing for now (and you can thank this person for the quotes above)

Let me leave you with one thing. An article by David Brooks which really crystallizes the reasons I'm choosing this particular candidate.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/opinion/29brooks.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=david+brooks&st=nyt&oref=slogin

Great Birthday weekend.

Took friday off and had dinner with my wife at my favorite yet admittedly culinarily unimpressive restaurant in Alameda on my Birthday. Good views, had the salmon, and there was a very cheesy lounge act playing the standards. The lead singer shmoozed with the crowd with his cordless mic, and even made his way to our back corner table. We were clearly affecting indifference and he was kind enough to pick up on our energy and asked us only a few non-annoying questions.

The Perfectline came up for the weekend. I picked him up early Saturday morning and we hit up Laguna Seca on the Monterey peninsula...110 miles in 90 minutes. Speed Ventures were hosting the event. They had a good turnout despite the weather report and it being the Superbowl weekend.

The parking and paddock area had it's typical clique groupings:
1. An entire Radical run group, some 20 cars, mostly SR3's...and unfortunately no SR-8's, the Uber-Radical.
2. A small group of S2000's, NSX's, M3's, and a bunch of Porsche's, including an honest to goodness GT-3 RS...yes, a real one!
3. And ONE 2001.5 S4...yep, my car.

The driver/owner, CJ, good guy, has pretty much done EVERYTHING you can do to his car that you can do on an S4.
- I have KKK04's (big and strong), he has RS-6 Hybrid's...nearly unbreakable and even more expensive.
- We have the same fueling and programming, AWE Tuning Stage III. Even though he can run a boost spike of 26 to a 22 taper, he's running my programming. He did this for reliabilities sake...he's essentially running a peak number thats 20% under max-tolerance. As far as mods, he has everything I have but has the following:
- AWE Tuning Intercoolers with APR hoses: $2500.
- Prototype, custom 2-piece HRE 19' wheels: $5000.
- My tires are actually better, GSD3's vs M Pilots.
- Same H&R coilovers...and we both don't like them.
- Stop Tech's, Front, Rear, and parking break: $6800
- STASIS center diff: $600
- STASIS Rear LSD: $2000
- STASIS tranny with RS4 3rd to 5th gear ratios: $3500
- X-1 carbon intake: $400
- VAST level 10 clutch and fly: $2000
- B&M Shortshifter: $250
- AWE boost gauge: $250
And the crazy thing is HE PAID TO DO ALL THE WORK!!

Anywayz, the perfectline and I were chatting away with nearly anyone that would talk with us. We couldn't stop we were so giddy! I got a ride in the S4, the driver was in the high-intermediate group. MY GOODNESS!...I thought about how I could adaquately communicate the experience in words...but I can't. You simply need to get a ride and experience it yourself. The car is soo fricking fast, soo planted, and able to manage turns at a speed your mind can't accept.

Part of being a passenger for me (and for alot of folks) is that I get sick within 5 laps. If I'm driving, no problemo...perhaps it's due to not being in control. As expected, after 5 laps in the S4, I got a queazy feeling in my stomach and I was dropped off in the hot pits. Checked his lap time: 1:50 on Street tires AND a passenger...that is fast. With just an extra 1/2 degree of neg. camber and R-comp's, 100-tune, and no-traffic, I bet the car can do 1:45 with the same driver.

I made two mental notes about how he treats his car compared to how I treat my car on track: he complete abuses his clutch and tranny. In fact, he destroyed the same clutch I have in my car in less than one week...and I understand why given his near destructive shifting style...another flat shifter! I don't get it! And his downshifts are soo damn abrupt. When I was at the BMW GGC driving school (the best in the business IMHO), I was pulled over for up-shifting too aggressively and not properly rev-matching a down-shift ONCE, yes ONCE. Not only is it too jarring on the drive-train, but it's considered unnecessary, and displays poor clutch control.

I was also chatting with an instructor in the Red run group. He was driving an EXIGE-S...sooo sooo sweet. Simply getting in required some skill in contortionism and it took me a bit of time to get the 5-point restraint on. The car is small BTW, really, really tiny and low. We got into the hot-pit and headed down the pit-lane exit. We were set up behind an M-6....my driver, Ash, commented "Might vs. Light", and we exited at break-neck speed.

Mind you, the S4 accelerates ridiculously, but the execution of the line must be pristine to log a good/fast lap...slow in, fast out, break here, turn out here, etc. This driver however, though an instructor, was completely all over the place. He was pretty much off-line on every turn....and you know what...IT DIDN'T MATTER. His car control skills were soo impressive, and the EXIGE's ability to cope with errors are soo uncanny that no-matter what position he had gotten us in, he was able to counter-steer out of all of it! Ex. going into T2, the insanely slow single apex, Ash (the instructor) was on a different line each time around!...and all of them wrong!...and it didn't matter! The car is soooo poised and sooo able to respond to throttle/brake modulation and steering corrections that you were never in any danger! I love this car...as in, it's my favorite car in the world right now. When I checked his time, 1:45 in traffic with driver 91 octane. He claims he could get it down to 1:42 with a clear track and 100 oct.

Now I've driven on the track and ridden as a passenger many many times. I trully believe Lagana provides the most thrill of the three tracks I've been to...without question. And if I had those "Okay, this is way way way too fast, we're not going to make it!!!" feeling, I can't imagine what a novice would be experiencing.

I can't wait to hit the track again. But it certainly won't be for some time and certainly won't be in my car.

That evening, we gamed at NTT's Brain's home...and we had a full-house! Everyone showed despite the weather. No-shows were: "The Duff" (in Oregon), the "Supertechnician" (in Germany), "the Kawanga Kid" (in the Phillipines), and "Cajun" (In Tennessee). We played L5R and the "Prof." GM'd. We had a great time. BBQ was tasty and I went a little crazy with the rice-eating...mmmmm...carbs.

That's it for now....

I turned 39 today....great....sigh.

So I've been ebaying alot of car stuff as of late. I'm not sure if you've heard the stories. Here's the first:

1. Auctioned off a bullet-proof 700R4 race ready tranny. Got a hell of alot of bidders and some guy in Nebraska won with a bid of nearly 800 dollars.


I spent 200 bucks to pallettize and ship the beast. When it arrived in Nebraska, the tranny was rolling around the back of the UPS truck! My frantic customer called me reporting that it arrived without ANY PACKAGING and definitely not on a pallette. He refused to accept it and immediately made a claim...as did I. The UPS driver on the other end played stupid, but my customer pointed out several distinct scrapes, dings, and one bell-housing dent. To make a long story short, it took 8 weeks to cash in on the insurance, thank goodness I paid for it. My customer was kind enough to give me a good review anywayz given I went above and beyond to make sure he got a full refund. The local UPS store, owned an operated by a nice Indian family, was near traumatized by the whole experience. UPS apparently blamed THEM for not properly packaging the item. They answered back with a digital picture of the tranny on a proper palette and with over-the-top strapping. UPS begrudgingly accepted the claim and responded with major passive aggression...they simply refused to pay-out on the insurance in a timely fashion. They say 4-6 days, well how about 8 WEEKS!

2. Injectors, OEM:


These suckers sell new for 400 bucks! They work perfectly, have caps, "O" rings, and clips included. My reserve was 100 bucks. My high bid was ONE DOLLAR. How pathetic. My goodness, shipping cost 12 bucks! I'll sell it on Audiworld for cheap.

3. OEM Downpipes:


These behemoths sell for 2000 New!! Unbelievable. The problem is no-one buys them, unless you're a dealership. Near new ones sell for no more then 100. I just wanted to get rid of them. Had a 100 dollar reserve and they sold for 252! WOOHOO. I saved on packaging by doing it myself, and you should see the box!...These bad-boys are soo long (60 inches) that the only box that fit looked like a casket. I spent 2 hours crumpling up newspapers to fill in the dead space, no pun intended.

4. OEM Turbos:



These K03's and piping sell for 2500 new. One is blown and my research shows that a pair typically sell for a hundred bucks...and that was my reserve. The shipping was nearly 80..they're pretty heavy. Good news, I met my reserve. Bad news, he never paid. This guy was a complete idiot. My ad was very very precise. I mentioned time and time again that they were "Stock", "OEM", "USED", and one was "BLOWN". Here were his emails:
- "how many HP can add to the engine and for how much u want to sell them"
WTF? I responded very politely. Reminded him to read my ad and reiterated that they were used, stock, and OEM. That they did not add any more HP to the car than stock turbo's because they were STOCK TURBO'S!! Next email:
- "It not update on STAGE III?????????????????????????????????"
What an doofuss. Responded again, this time with irritation considering he was my HIGH BIDDER. Reminded him to READ MY AD. That they were K03's and not Stage III's. That they were used, stock, OEM, and that one was blown. In any case, the auction ended with this numb skull as the high bidder. I submitted an invoice. Here was his response:
- "sorry i can buy !!!"
You've gotta be kidding me. I responded with massive "tude" at this point asking him what the hell was he talking about. Was he buying it or not buying it?! And his final inane email:
- "can`t buy !!!"
Brilliant.

This moron takes the cake.

Note to theDiscourser....

Okay, I've been giving you a little grief re. renting "Ghostrider". I know this is the height of hypocrisy when I say this, but with shameful admission, I must admit to having rented and watched this movie as well. Sometime late last year. I sooo wanted it to rock...hey, I like Nicolas Cage, and I figured you got your wife agree to watch it given her perverse infatuation with the guy, so I checked it out. And yes, I was disappointed as well, though the Ghostrider was very well done. Nicolas has been hit or miss as of late, and I really wanted to like "NEXT" and "National Treasure" but I just couldn't. I really liked him in "Adaptation" though.

See you this weekend?..

Movie Recommendations:

1. "Eastern Promises": Another David Cronenberg masterpiece. A natural thematic progression from his previous work, "A History of Violence". A study and a near-perfect film example of the Anti-hero genre...much in the way Eastwood's "High Plains Drifter" challenged you to identify and route for the terribly unsavory protagonist "Drifter" (who in the first 15 minutes of the movie kills 3 men and rapes a woman), Cronenberg dares you to care about Viggo Mortenson's Russian mobster character, a member of the Vory Zarkone. This movie pulls no punches and has some all-out bloody violence ala Godfather Part II. Viggo will win best actor for his portrayal.

2. "No Country for Old Men": Coen brothers master-work. Critics are calling it not only the best filmed picture of the year, but quite possibly the best film the last 3-4 years. I predict that this film will all-out sweep the Oscars. Javier Barden, the psychopathic hit-man (known for his role as the quadriplegic in "The Sea Inside", best foreign film 2005, saw it this weekend, fantastic movie, about Euthanasia if you're interested) is absolutely creepy. Every shot is perfect....every shot!

3. "There will be Blood": by Paul Thomas Anderson. This movie will be seen and appreciated for the next 50 years. Okay, scratch that about Viggo, is there ANYTHING Daniel Day Lewis has done that is NOT just absolutely earth-shatteringly awesome!?!?! He's winning best actor. One quote from the movie that I simply can't get out of my head: Daniel Lewis, in a dead-pan manner, after an oil exec attempts to bully him into selling his oil-rich land, "One day, when you are asleep in your bed, I will go into your home and slip your throat...silence"....HOLY SHIT!!

4. "Capote": Bennet Miller director. I know this is a year old but we just saw this film. The story behind one of the important novels written in the last century "In Cold Blood". WOW, every scene is soo finely crafted, soo utterly deliberate! Some movies attempt this and it comes off as somnolent. This movie, as with "Nobody Knows" and "Rashoman" by Akira Kurasawa completly sensitizes you to the tiniest detail.

5. "The Lives of Others" or "Leben der Anderen, Das": Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Best foreign film 2006, just brilliant. The supertechnician in Germany should see this film. A story about the STASI, the East German secret police, set in the mid 80's.

Note to THEDISCOURSER: Would you please, please, please FINALLY rent some of the following: "City of God" (Life altering), "300" (testosterone pumping), "Sin City" (visually mesmerizing), "Momento" (mind f-king), "Amores Perros" (a gigantic achievement), "Crash" (a little too proselytizing but entertaining none-the-less), "Babel" (epic), "Pan's Labyrinth" (touching), "Water" (my goodness, literally millions, yes MILLIONS rioted against the release of this film! It's that good), and "Princess Mononoke" (felt like a kid again), "Equalibrium" (Gun-Kata baby!),and my guilty pleasure, "The Shooter", stop laughing. I actually liked this film. It's mindless and requires very little investment on your part. You can watch it while working on your new IPhone.

Unfortunately, some of these films will require you to sit down and watch in silence and with no distractions lest you miss some subtle detail or lose some of the emotional impact of the moment. Nonetheless, I think you'd like any one of these films. I won't include any films that require a flowchart to follow...I know how much you hate those.

And if you have the time, please rent some Kurosawa. My personal favorites being: Rashoman, Yojimbo, Sanjoro, Seven Samurai, Ran, and Kagemushu. Once you watch one, you will be hooked. You'll want to watch everyone one of his films! And if you're your feeling L5R'ish, rent "Zatoichi" or ANYTHING from the "Lone Wolf and Cub" series, the story of the Shogunate's Imperial Exectutioner. This captures L5R to the frickin "T"...and no, this ain't "Legend of the Flying Guiottine". They are really quite good, especially Zatoichi.

American Idol, my thoughts...

Yes, I actually watch this show. I apologize. It's a juggernaut in terms of ratings. They had more viewers than the Olympics a couple of years back! A sad statement can be made on both sides of that argument. But anywayz, my thoughts.

The first few episodes of this show involve the auditions. The producers typically highlight the horrendous singers more so than