Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Hypocritical Politicians: The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Headline from Spokane:

Cross-dressing state lawmaker blackmailed following late night tryst

1st paragraph:
SPOKANE -- State Representative Richard Curtis says he's not gay, but police reports and court records indicate the Republican lawmaker from southwestern Washington dressed up in women's lingerie and met a Medical Lake man in a local erotic video store which led to consensual sex at a downtown hotel and a threat to expose Curtis' activities publicly.

And yes, of course he is an anti-gay Republican. Aren't all cross dressing dirty book-store sex-a-holics in politics?

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

As someone who has a house in the desert..

..can I just say firefighters are amazing!

The Inland Empire (Riverside / San Bernardino)


Why they deserve all our thanks. Cuz one day it will be our house.

Dryers Go Clockwise

Ed doesn’t mind that I fold clothes (or do anything else) with the TV on. Because otherwise my mind wanders. For example, today…

I had to fold clothes downstairs (one of the washers didn’t spin well, so it was all staggered), and I was confused by the dryers. Why do they all spin clockwise?

You see - the line of dryers, that used to be straight, is now askew. Not at a 45 degree angle yet, but heading there. As the dryers “walk” they tend to turn. And I thought, if they spun sometimes clockwise and sometimes counter-clockwise that wouldn’t happen. AND if there is a outside manifestation, then the guts of the dryer are also subject to some weird dynamic because of the one way motion. SO.. if the dyers spun clockwise one cycle and counter-clockwise the other cycle, wouldn’t the dryer last longer? But it is probably a little cheaper to buy one-way motors.

PLUS the Dryer Overlords don’t want Dryers to last longer. Oh no, Maytag has no use for a long life’d Dryer. They would rather DESIGN in obsolesce so we have to buy new ones.

So now I am on a toot about the evil corporate capitalists that pull OUR STRINGS even when all we want to do is dry our clothes in peace.

And that is why Ed doesn’t mind that I do things with the TV on.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Whoops!

Once again I must apologize to my mother. Not for anything I did, but for what I thought when I was younger.

When my mom first moved away from Los Angeles, she once was freezing for days on end. One day she saw the winds kick up from a different direction and was excited. In LA that means warm Santa Ana’s. In East No Where Utah (where we were at the time) this is so NOT the case. And I remember thinking Mom was a little off her rocker about the weather.

Well, last Saturday it was rainy and blah and really humid. We went to a show and at 9:00 PM it was kind of hot and sticky. I walked the dog in shorts and a sleeveless shirt. Sunday morning I got up to walk the dog, and it was bright and beautiful. Which, in LA, means warm!! So I threw on shorts and a t-shirt and took Trevor out for his morning “business”. Bright and sunny and clear does not mean warm in New York. It was 45 degrees! I dun froze myself and I couldn’t go in as the little dog had still had to make a number 2.

As I walked, goose pimple-y, freezing and looking extremely stupid as the people in long pants and coats walked by I thought of the long ago time with my mother. And I silently apologized. It did not help that when Ed finally roused himself from slumber he said, “Wow! It is so clear. It must be freezing outside.”

FEMA Fake News Conference.. Fall out! (Updated)

Remember the Fake FEMA news conference in California about the wildfires. The questions were all from FEMA employees ("How great are you guys being on top of this?").

Well, the fall out is that FEMA Director of External Affairs John P. "Pat" Philbin is no longer in his job.

Fired for mis-management by our "CEO" President you ask? Heavens no. Promoted to head of public affairs at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Public Affairs at National Intelligence!

I shit you not.

Update: Just in case you missed it, he has lost his new post. Apparently someone in the administration was a little embarassed.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Week-end's Entertainment

So it was a fun week-end.

Friday we saw the movie Micheal Clayton. Although there is that whole "expectations" thing, let me say I loved it and Ed really liked it. It is throw back mystery thriller. Kind of film noir, but not really (I don't know why). George Clooney was amazing. Even Ed liked him, and Ed hates him. He was almost the anti-George Clooney from Ocean's 11 - 13.

He played a guy whose middle age hits him unexpectedly and un-sterotypically. His character suddenly realizes what all those choices meant. And Tom Wilkinson is great. Tilda Swinton is, as always, quietly a killer performance.

I really really liked it a lot.

Then, Saturday night we went and saw this "show" Fuerzabruta. It is an interactive theater piece that was a lot of fun. I really liked it. It is kind of hard to describe. It is by the same people that did La Gaurda if you know that. Kind of a 65 minute show that takes place in vinettes, amoung the audience. You walk around, dance, move, are surprised. All kinds of things.

Including a massive plastic roof that drops down to arm level above your head where 4 "mermaids" perform in a water pool with faux rain. Really, it's an interactive experience. Randy and I liked it a lot. Ed was ... amused and annoyed in about equal measure.

So there you go. Quite the week-end.

Friday, October 26, 2007

No, I am not proud of myself

I want to appauld Liberia for electing the first Female African Head of State. Her name is Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and she is trying really hard to bring peace to a horrible place. I am proud of her and the voters in Liberia.

I am not proud of myself.

However, doesn't she look a lot like Danny DeVito in drag.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

If you make enought money...

So, tonight on "30 Rock", Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) says, "I hear, no one wants to employee you once other people don't want to see you nakid anymore."


To which, Jack says (in perfect wisdom), "Lemon, when you make enough money: you can pay people so they want to see you nakid."

Freaky to see LA burn

It is a little freaky to see so much of Los Angeles burning. They have closed the 5 between LA and San Diego (that is the one road along the ocean that runs between the two). They have closed the 5 north of LA to San Francisco. San Diego seems to be burning at all the edges. It is sad.

With almost zero rain this year we all knew it would happen, but it is sad and freaky.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Just enjoying a day out in England

Jane and Lisa took me to the Royal Horticultrual Gardens when I was in London. It was beautiful. But, if you work hard enough, and if you take enough pictures. You get a funny one.

It's a "Strawman Arguement" aka f**king Lie

In case you have missed it, this is Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week (really LINK here).

Now I wanted to see what this is all about, so let me state what the purpose is in its own words.

The purpose of this protest is as simple as it is crucial: to confront the two Big Lies of the political left: that George Bush created the war on terror and that Global Warming is a greater danger to Americans than the terrorist threat.

These two might be big lies, but not big lies from the American left. Honey, I am a card caring member of the American left - and I can tell you I never said, nor believed this crap.

Let's start with the Terror bullshit. People who hate us, in this case Islamic fantics, attacked us to cause terror in our country. They hoped terror would drive a result they thought would be easy because we are whimps. We aren't whimps, we didn't fold to a bunch of loony demands - and in fact we beat most of the terrorists responsible in Afganistan - where they were based.

No, shelf the strawman argument. We feel that George Bush lied about a threat to get us to attack Iraq, but that complex complaint isn't the easy to knock down arguement that "George Bush created the war on terror".

And "Great Big Left Lie 2": Global Warming is a greater danger to Americans than the terrorist threat. What? What have you been smoking, and will you please share it with the rest of us lefties? I must have missed that meeting.

Here is the score Sparky. You have refused to acknowledge Global Warming for 6 years. We have had to scream to make you listen. We haven't had to scream to make you listen about terror. In fact, we can't have a discussion on the phone in the crapper where you haven't evesdropped about terror.


But our government should not be about running from crisis to crisis like a cartoon character with his birght orange hair on fire, trailing sparks. Our government should take actions to protect us against all catastrophic threats. The terrorism we assume is still coming after us because of our freedoms (we still have enough despite all you have taken away), global warming if it reduces the quality of life for our childern, maybe rampent overspending by a governement who never met a new project it didn't like.

There are really discussions we should have as a nation. However reducing dialog to a strawman arguement so you can make "liberals" look stupid is... I don't know, exactly what Islamofascist do to western values to make it okay to kill us. So... shut up.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Well... away we go

So I am heading back home to Neuva Yorka this morning. I had a great time here in lovely old London. Got absoletely no work done, despite the fact that a lot of us were here and waiting for meetings to start.

Oh the other hand, Lisa showed me where the biggest sci fi bookstore in all of England is... that was fun. Last night Jane, Lisa, Laura, Dan and I all had a nice evening out. I saw some amazing gardens. Pics of all later.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

There is Nin..

And there is compoopery, but this is truely nincompoopery.

My employers (who shall remain nameless less there be googling over at Citi - oh damn) decided to put on a travel freeze. They put this on last Friday morning. After approximately 15 of the 20 travelers to meetings in London and Scotland had already left.

Rather than use a brain to judge the effectiveness of sunk costs, the meeting was canceled. So from Japan, New York, LA, Brazil and Singapore, workers are in hotels in London trying to find a way home. American Express travel (whom we MUST use for cost cutting) is having a bad week-end what with weather, the travel freeze and all - and so will not talk to you this week-end unless you are specifically scheduled to travel in the next 12 hours. Needing to get home to cut cost is not, I repeat NOT, technically "scheduled to travel in the next 12 hours". Call back on Monday.

London is a particularly expensive city - and so it might have made sense to cancel the meetings if 75% of the people were nto already here. And can't get back anyway until after Monday. When the first day of the non-canceled meetings would have been complete.

Getting it done indeed.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

I gotta say:Virgin is nice!

So I am on Virgin Upper Class to London (work flysme beeswax). And they feed you at NYC before you get on the plane so you can sleep the full 7 hours to London.

Nice!!!!

Scott are you ever worried about your job?

You mean because some banks are having problems now? Heck no. My bank has a slogan. And I concur... Let's get 'er dun.

Heading off to Jolly Olde for Work

Well, I am heading off to Jolly Olde England for work tonight. I'll be with Lisa and Jane Friday and Saturday (and watching Yee Olde World Cup Rugby Saturday with Barbara, Gareth and Jane - go England!).

Sunday through Tuesday I am in Canary Wharf - which is not as picturesque as it sounds.
Wednesday in Edinburgh Scotland and Thursday in Dundee Scotland. (Dundee - drive for hours outside of Edinburgh, take a right at Loch Von Nowhere and stop at the NCR Factory) and back next week.

As I laid in bed last night with Ed and Trevor (who insists on sleeping between us) I realized I am a lucky lucky boy. I have good friends and a good bf and a crazy ass - but good - dog.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

How to Scare a Pup

Want to know how to scare the poop out of a pup? Show up outside a 37th floor window.


Sign of the Apocalypse?



Clay Aiken will be on Broadway in Spamalot from Jan 18 to May 4. First sign of the Apocalypse.

Trevor hs seen the second sign, by the way. Window washers appeared outside our window today and FREAKED THE LITTLE DOG OUT!!!!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Lisa Would Love the Fisher Landau (Updated)

So, this week-end Eddie took me to Queens to see the Fisher Landau Center for Art. It is a 3 story warehouse Art Gallery. It is housed in "a former parachute harness factory" and it was totally cool. It houses the Emily Fisher Landau collection of Art.

The space was great, and we some stunning work. I fell in love with Mark Tansey. He is an American painter that is so amazing. You can't really see it all from the little picture, but this work is called the Triumph of Will over Mastery or something like that.



What you can't see is the religious mural painted in monochrome, over which the painter is white washing. It was about 10 feet tall and breathtaking. Ed and I were both staggered, but how cool it was.

There was also a small drawing by him called The Key - which we liked, but didn't even notice it was by him until later.



We saw the pencil sketch for this oil painting. It was totally a cool set of art in a great setting.

Update: So Eddie found out what the whitewasher is paiting over. It is "The Last Judgement" from the Vatican. Here is the detail area and the big picture.






Saturday, October 13, 2007

Dachshund

So today we walked around Washington Square. It was a Dachshund Day in Washington Square Park. For no reason I could see there were tons of Dachsi’s waddling around. Some were dressed in costumes, there were a set of pirates, a Dachsi Spider lots of lady bugs. It was bizarre and funny.


Friday, October 12, 2007

Palm Springs: With Honey on It

So Eddie and I went to Palm Springs last week-end and had a great time. We saw a bunch of friends (Muffin, Katherine, Bradley, Kathy) and had dinner one night with the neighbors (Tim and Chris). It was great.

Just before we left New York, my mom called to say thanks for a gift and to tell me she was going to LA to see her mom (Honey) for a few days. On Monday she and Nick were going to Laughlin. Well, this worked well because, surprise, Ed and I would be in Palm Springs on Monday and they should drop by. Plans were tentatively made (but you know – Honey, my mom’s mom – might want them longer so it was up in the air).

Apparently after a 3 day drive down from Montana, Mom and Nick got to Honey’s on Friday night. They visited a little and told Honey their plans to stay through Monday. Honey was happy because it would be a nice visits.

Saturday Mom and Nickdrove up about 45 miles up from Honey’s house to see Tiffany and Quentin (my sister and brother) for T’s birthday. Honey didn’t want to spend the whole day up in Orange County - but want ed to have dinner with them. Well, Quentin was on call so they had to eat dinner in Orange County. So after much of the day, Mom and Nick drove back down to Honey’s house, and then drove Honey back up to Orange County for dinner with everyone.

So my mom has driven 3 days to get toHoney's house outside San Diego - and another 150 miles or so Saturday dragging it around to make things work in Southern California (and still has to drive Honey home another 45 miles back to the house). Dinner seems to be going well when Honey pops up with an idea. At dinner Honey says to Mom, “You should leave tomorrow morning.”

My mother is not the least amused, but said fine. In her head (and at my house) she elaborated on the thought, but suffice it to say my mom says eveil things about her mom.

She and Nick left Sunday bright and early and spent the night at our house before going to Laughlin. My mother has no future plans to drive 3 days to visit her mother for less than 1 full day. But, on the phone, Honey was sweet “So nice to see you. We should do it again.”

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

It's not the QB's fault (persay)...

In the annuals of bad loses, last week's lose to Notre Dame (previously the Fight Our Ladies of the Golden Hope were winless) was pretty bad.

But then, come on. Our quarterback was hurt in the 1st quarter. Our backup was already out. Both of them had surgery this week. We were stuck with a walk-on!!! freshman. We have a red-shirt somewhere who takes the snaps with the scout team, but our coach Karl (I gotta pulse in here somewhere) Dorrel did not play him. No need to. Our walk on threw 4 interceptions and had a fumble.

As I say, I don't blame the QB this week. I will cut them some slack. Go Bruins.

PS, If Karl belly flops my team again this week, I'll cut him.


"Oh my. That isn't good," Karl states the obvious.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Air Traffic Control circa 2007 (by Ed)

The FAA has begun using a new tool to layout flight routes....

it is called "Etch-a-Sketch"

Our flight home from Dallas to New York tonight (we are the hard to see green line that goes DOWN to Houston then arond the country to New York):

Click here for bigger flight.bmp



Friday, October 05, 2007

Ed's Dirty Little Secret

Well, on Thursdays I go to class. That leaves Ed with hours to entertain himself.

Ladies and Germs we do not want to know what hideous things Ed does to entertain himself.

You do?

Really, it’s kind of graphic?

He cooks macaroni and cheese. WAIT, I’m not done. Then he mixes it with Cream of Mushroom soup and Tuna. And this mixture, hopefully suited for making sculptures – he… he… (be strong Scooter) eats it.
Ah…..the humanity.

Hawaii QBA; Colt Brennan

Okay, here is the question. Let's say you are young, fit and cute. Here is a list of hairstyles that work on you, but not on the aged. (Yes, it is an excuse for pics of Colt for Little Ron and Lisa)....


Emo Colt (for you in England, that is the the traditional Hawaian Hang Loose salute).



Serious Prospect Colt


Red Shirt Colt (yes - dreds!) But here is a better view of the entire picture. It is dreamy Red Shirt Colt, waiting for next year and his chance to play.

By the way, Colt is a great name for an athelete. Or porn star.

So be careful if you name your son "Colt" - there aren't that many QuarterBack slots to fill!

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Nin. Com.. Poopery


The ruling feedback (courtesy of Salon)...

On Craig's claim that the court shouldn't have accepted his guilty plea in the first place: "The Defendant argues that, because the factual basis in the petition lacks detail, he was therefore not aware of the facts underlying his conduct coinciding with the elements of the offense, or more importantly, that he was not admitting to have engaged in that conduct. This is illogical. The Defendant admits in his post-conviction affidavit that he pled in haste in an effort to avoid the public disclosure of the very facts which he now maintains should have been painstakingly detailed in the petition."

On Craig's claim that a judge should have questioned him about his guilty plea before accepting it: "The Defendant reasons that if Judge Larson had questioned him live, Judge Larson would have realized the Defendant did not intend to plead guilty to the specific facts alleged by Sgt. Karsnia. This is a circular argument. The Defendant chose not to appear and to enter his plea by mail just so he could avoid any such [public] inquiry into his conduct. He kept many of the facts out of the record in so doing. He cannot now complain that he should not have been allowed to take advantage of an approved method to enter a misdemeanor plea."

On Craig's claim that he was the victim of an "aggressive" police interrogation: "In this case, the interrogation transcript does not evidence an improperly aggressive interrogation. The Defendant was given a Miranda warning and agreed to speak with Sgt. Karsnia without having an attorney present ... The Defendant may have felt intimidated by the situation, but he also acted with a degree of confidence when, upon arriving at the POC, he identified himself as a United States Senator and said, 'What do you think about that?'"

Ashford and Hasting's Old House Sitter

My good friend Erwin and his wife had a baby on the 30th. It was their first (and Erwin's mom's first grandchild, she can ex-hale now). Ethan.


I don't want one, but if I did - I would want a cute one. Congrats. (Laura and Dan - you wait a little while now.)

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Tale of Trevor, the Poop Shy Pup

So this morning I was walking the Trev-ster. He is a great little dog, but he does have the poop issue. He doesn’t like to poop in front of people. Plus, he has to work it out – which usually consists of a rapid walk for about a block, then the deed.

Well, this morning we walked up to 10th. At the end, you could tell things were churning. We crossed the street to the empty side and about 50 ft. down he started the process. The process is crazed. He twirls and checks and hunches up and starts, and then – as he is pooping – he turns around to smell the first drop to see if it is his. I am telling you – it is a full scale production.

So he starts, but then someone walks by (he took too long in the inspection phase) and says cute dog. Immediate un-hunch. If he could whistle he would. “Nothing to see here, move along.”
So now we gotta walk back and forth again to get his juices flowing. He finds a spot on the concrete between the fence and a parked bus. He checks, he hunches. Bombs away and he twirls to smell that it is his.

At that exact moment the bus he his hiding behind turns on with a giant noise. Poop flew out his ass and he jumped about 4 feet in the air. Since he was 2/3s done –he had no choice but to finish – but that bus sure got a dirty look.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

The Sign is nice when well used.

So this is a new cool billboard, when well used. This is a great ad for it. Previously they had Rush Hour 3 but showed a clip in 70 millimeter film, which meant it was really skinny and small in the middle.

It lights up well at night, but the day picture shows it off better in context.

Dont' you think it is weird....

Don't you think it is weird that we have outsourced our fighting. Here is the opening of many stories about the Blackwater incident.



Oct. 2, 2007 WASHINGTON -- On Sept. 16, 2007, a convoy of Blackwater contractors guarding State Department employees entered a crowded square near the Mansour district in Baghdad, Iraq. But versions of what caused the ensuing bloodshed diverge.

I am not trying to argue anything, except that it is weird that the United States is using mercenaries. Guarding the State Department employees is the job of the United States Marines. It is a proud and honorable job they have done since World War II. They are the face of the US State Department, not steroid fueled, sunglasses hiding mercenaries.

If Iraq is the central war on terror. Or critical to our security. Or important enough for US kids to die for. Why aren't we fighting it?

Let's say for a minute that I agree this is critical to the safety of our country. As the President of our country says, Iraq is the 2000's equivalent of the cold war or World War II. It is the defining moment of our country in the new century. Then why aren't we having a draft and fighting it? Why aren't we cutting back and making sacrifices for the war effort? Why are we doing it on the cheap and outsourcing it? Why is this the face of America in Iraq?






Yup, that's our Ambassador to Iraq - not guarded by Marines but by hired guns.





Yep, another State Department Official.




These guys would scare the poop out of me too, if I lived in Iraq. Our Soldiers are protecting life, helping to secure cities and these guys are killing families that won't get out of the way quick enough (that is the whole scandel - fyi). And, the administration contract with them puts them out of reach of American Law. And, they have no contract - so therefore no oversight - by the Iraqui government. They are free to do and kill as they please.

Your tax dollars at work.

Monday, October 01, 2007

Mascot of the Month: Madeline Kahn

Some people fade into the background and make you chuckle. Then there is Madeline Kahn, who preferred the background; where she would jump around, stand on her head and force you to laugh. It is impossible to pick the berst Madeline Kahn role. For example, she was nearly lost in "Clue", except for this interplay:



Butler: But your first husband dissappered too, didn't he.

Mrs. White: That was his job. He was an illusionist.

Butler: But he never reappeared.

Mrs. White: He wasn't a very good illusionist.


For many her Acadamy Award nominated role in Blazing Saddles as Lily Von Schtup was the highlight. Here she feedbast Brautwurst to Cleavon Little.


Everytime she came on the screen - you knew that something funny was going to happen. She seemed to live to make people laugh.



But my very favorite Madeline Kahn was from a small movie that was HORRIBLE in a great, train wreck kind of way.



Madeline Kahn played Kitty O'Kelly in "At Long Last Love". It was a Peter Bogdonivitch experiment. Madeline Kahn, Cybil Shepard, Burt Renoylds and some Spanish Chap played 4 lovers who switched partners to make each other jealous, and then went back to their original lovers - only to realize they loved the pretend partners more.

But the movie plot (such as it was) wasn't the idea. The whole movie was filmed as a musical with songs sung live during the filming. It was a 1930's throwback idea that so didn't work. Cybil Shepard and Burt Renoylds cannot carry a tune in a wheel barrow. But Ms. Kahn. She was the only bright spot in that show.

She not only was funny, stole the show, look prettier than either Cybil Shepard or Burt Renoylds (at the height of his Cosmo fame), she actually could sing and act. She was genuinely touching. Of course, you have to sit through some pretty terrible singing to see her, but if you get a chance, it is so worth it.

So, here's to Madeline Kahn. She died too young of Ovarian Cancer, but she lived a bright and beautiful life. Hat's off.


As a Graduate from Hofstra University.