Musical Wind

As The World Turns

2012-01-25T22:23:00.000-05:00

Her diary:

Tonight I though my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. I was shopping with my friend all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it.

Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed but he didn't say much. I asked him what was wrong he said 'nothing'. I asked him if it was my fault he was upset. He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me and not too worry about it. On the way home I told him that I loved him... he smiled slightly and kept driving.

I can’t explain his behaviour I don’t know why he didn't say, 'I love you too'.

When we got home I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly, and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent. Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. But I still felt he was distracted and his thoughts were somewhere else.

He fell asleep - I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else.

My life is a disaster.

His Diary:

Day 16: I still can't get that god damn snare to sound right, I'm starting to wonder if this is why people turn to writing trance music...

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A Texan Moves North

2012-01-19T23:27:00.000-05:00

Thus far this 2011/12 Winter we're missing the snow "up here" in the NYC region - things could change this weekend according to the forecasts we may get some, finally.

In lieu of the note comes the following story; had read it a few years ago under the premise of a Mexican moving over to Canada, this version will be the Texan moving to somewhere North in the USA... Vermont maybe?

- - - - - - - -

January 10

It's 5:00PM. It's starting to snow. The first of the season and the first one we've seen in years. The wife and I took our hot buttered rum and sat by the picture window watching the soft flakes drift down, clinging to the trees and covering the ground. It was so beautiful.

January 11

We woke to a lovely blanket of crystal white snow covering the landscape. What a fantastic sight. Every tree and shrub covered with a beautiful mantle. I shoveled snow for the first time in my life and loved it. I did both the driveway and the sidewalk. later a snow plow came along and accidentally covered up the driveway with compacted snow from the street. The driver waved and smiled. I waved back and shoveled again.

January 12

It snowed an additional 5 inches last night and the temp has dropped to 11 degrees. Several tree limbs have snapped in the snow. I shoeveled the drive again. Shortly afterwards the snowplow came again. Now the snow is a brownish-grey.

January 13

It warmed enought today to cause slush which froze again when the temp dropped. Bought snow tired for both cars. Fell on my ass in the driveway. $145.00 to a chiropractor. Nothing broken. More snow.

January 14

Still cold as hell. Sold the wife's car. Bought a 4x4 to get her to work. Slid into a guardrail anyways, considerable damage. Another 8 inches of snow last night. Both vehicles covered with salt and crud. More shoveling for me. The dick snowplow came twice today.

January 15

It's 2 fucking degrees outside. More fucking snow. Not a tree on our property hasn't been damaged. Power was off most of the night. Tried to keep from freezing to death with candles and a kerosene heater, which tipped over and nearly burned the fucking house down. Managed to put out the flames but suffered 2nd degree burns on my hands plus lost all my eyelashes and eyebrows. car slid off the road on the way to the emergency room and totalled it.

January 16

More motherfucking goddam white shit keeps coming down. Have to put on all the clothes we own just to get to the fucking mailbox. If I ever catch the son-of-a-bitch who drives that fucking snowplow, I'll chew open his chest and rip out his heart. I think he hides around the corner till I shovel. Power still off. Roof has started to cave in.

January 17

Six more fucking inches of fucking white shit and fucking sleet and no tellin' what the fuck else fell last night. I wounded the fucking snowplow asshole with an ice axe, but he got away. Wife left me. The car won't start. I think I'm going snowblind. I can't feel my fucking toes. Haven't seen the sun in weeks. More white shit forecast. Wind chill is 22 below. I'm moving my ass back to Texas...

The Forgotten Ten

2012-01-06T13:35:00.001-05:00

With 2012 already underway many of us start off with good willed New Year's Resolutions. Used to pay attention to those years ago but as I have grown older the whole thing has become more or less an exercise of conscience and truth to be told, that can happen at any given day - not just as our arbitrary way to mark the passage of time seems to encourage.

Found the following on my web explorations; was looking for an entirely different thing and could not just let it go by unblogged (right!).

The Forgotten Ten Commandments

Thou shall not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.
Thou shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.
Thou shall not cross bridges before you come to them, for no one yet has succeeded in accomplishing this.
Thou shall face each problem as it comes. You can only handle one at a time anyway.
Thou shall not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor bedfellows.
Thou shall not borrow other people’s problems. They can bettercare for them than you can.
Thou shall not try to relive yesterday for good or ill, it is forever gone.Concentrate on what is happening in your life and be happy now!
Thou shall be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear different ideas from your own. It is hard to learn something new when you are talking, and some people do know more than you do.
Thou shall not become “bogged down” by frustration, for 90% of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive action.
Thou shall count thy blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one.

- - - -

These seem to be far better fitting than the "official" ones.

Happy New Year 2012!

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Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T16:17:00.001-05:00

I think the controversy goes because so much has been overlooked on the origins of the traditions we usually take as “one” today. Case in point Christmas, the alleged birth date of Jesus Christ all those hundreds of years ago, a celebration that has seen Christmas Trees, kissing under the Mistletoe, the Yuletide and others squished into one, so confused the jumble that all those symbols, PAGAN symbols are taken as part of the Christian Nativity tradition.

To help clear things out – a win if even only a single mind is shaken out of the indoctrinated stupor – I took the liberty from stealing the following content to further illustrate:

You don’t need to believe in Yule, the Scandinavian fertility god, to enjoy “Yuletide” carols and greetings.

You don’t need to be Pagan to enjoy the traditions of hanging wreaths in your home.

You don’t need to be a Druid to hope for a kiss under the mistletoe.

You don’t need to believe in the god Saturn, or believe in the revitalizing energies of evergreen trees, to enjoy the tradition of decorating a Saturnalia tree in your home.

You don’t need to believe in Odin, Thor or Saint Nicholas to enjoy the tradition of a visitor bringing gifts at night.

You don’t need to believe in Sleipnir, Odin’s eight-legged horse, to secretly hope to hear the clattering of hooves on your rooftop.

You don’t need to believe in Mithras to celebrate the Sun’s rebirth on December 25th.

And you don’t need to believe in Jesus Christ to celebrate His birth, Christ’s Mass.

All you need to enjoy the winter festivities, in any way you see them, is to be merry.

Merry Christmas!

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Sage Advise

2011-12-11T20:07:00.001-05:00

Saw the following bit of wisdom in some random place on the web:

"Women who desire a future should stay away of men with a past"

If I had a daughter I would have made the best effort to emphasize on that from a young age moving forward. Relationships are hard enough by themselves to allow the impositions of potentionally intrusive "ghosts" from a past to jeopardize the best efforts.

As I have a son, my advice to him has been to the tone of:

"Stay away from a woman that has no desire for a future"

Because without such drive a woman becomes content with the present, complacent with the sure things she has at hand. There will be no growth path in a relationship, and that is the proverbial kiss of death for an otherwise successful plan of life.

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Hair Today

2011-11-19T12:25:00.001-05:00

This post will be an ode to my hair, or should I say an ode to a disappearing hair line? Judging by the evidence left after the shower on the tub (which I clean up every day) and the hairbrush (also cleaned up everyday), its fate looms closer than the projected end of the world in 2012.

Back in my early years I was usually commended for the abundant hair patch on my head. Mum used to comb it with the split on the left side – a style pretty common among the nerdy crowds, and I kept it all the way through my HS days when I followed on my father’s ways and changed the style from the side split to just comb it all back.

All the time keeping it trimmed. That is until the Great Awakening of 1999. One good day I decided to forget about the haircuts and gave my follicles free reign and it was good. Learned a lot about hair care, stuff I didn’t practice before became the regular with talk about shampoo, conditioners, etc. Some family and friends were not happy about it – too un-conservative of me in a conservative crowd but I did not pay attention, I was happy with and it gave me an unexpected boost at my job. That’s right!

Back in 2000 I was part of the engineering group of an automotive manufacturer. It was a complex operation due to the nature of its products and we were always under deadlines pressure; I earned a reputation of getting things done and curious enough in good part I owed it to my long hair: I found that the mechanics & maintenance groups trusted me better than my peers in a tie and suit; same goes for the customers I liaised to. It was the best of times on that gig.

Come 2004 and disaster struck as I prepared to move to NY upon a job change and the ex thought my look was inappropriate for the corporate world of the Big Apple. Why did I allowed the shears to do their nasty deed?

A friend asked me not too long ago why didn’t I grew it back and not seeing anything against I decided to do just that. I know this will be my hair last hurrah before going commando… if there is one thing I don’t believe in is in pulling from a happening patch to a barren one, I may not go into fully shaven bowling ball look but trimmed down to a shadow it is a definitive yes.

Hair today, gone tomorrow. It comes with the package

Gamer Here

2011-11-18T13:44:00.000-05:00

Happened a couple of months ago that NBC's The Other View went on record as saying that anybody who is over thirty-years-old and plays videogames is "weird." That's according to hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, as well as their guest Donny Deutsch; it is OK to play them with the kids apparently but the other types like me - and I am pushing mid 40s now - who engage on lonesome video gaming sessions have been shoved into cellar-dwelling weirdos. Right.

By my tenure on this hobby I will probably will be playing until I can no longer hold a controller.

First exposure to video games was with a "TV Scoreboard" my dad bought for me and my siblings back in 1979 or so, only squash, tennis and hockey could be played on the thing and we did for hours. Then came the Atari VCS which was nowhere to be seen at our house, one lucky friend of mine got one and it soon became a weekly engagement to gather at his house to play. Then another friend got a Mattel Intellivision and the Atari crowd moved over to the next house (such loyal friends we were ha ha!).

Years pass and eventually a Nintendo NES found its way to our home and it was on this system that my kid got his first exposure to video games, quickly becoming a master of the Mario series. Me? I was also a fan of that but in my lone moments I spent time on adult games like Doom, Duke Nukem and Wolfenstein, all on the PC.

Then late 2007 we were bored doing nothing at my sister's in Sierra Vista AZ. Left there alone kiddo and I discovered a beat up XBox machine along with several games, one of them this title I heard about but never played; quickly I installed the game system as Jr watched, then started to play Halo. We didn't know it at the time but it became out favorite game ever to this day - yes we do have other games we have taken to like but the Halo series remains numero uno.

Case in point:

Have XBox Live? look me up, gamertag OilegorAerep.

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Heavenly

2011-11-06T16:47:00.000-05:00

Our bacon, thou art in fry pan
Hallowed be thy grease.

Thou art well done
Thy will be done
In minutes on ye old iron pan

Give this day our crispy sticks
and deliver us from peameal
As we forgive those who speak against you.
and lead us away from temptation

But deliver us from vegans
For thine is the well done
and the greasy
and the glory
for ever and ever

Ba-Con

- - - - -

A good friend of mine sent me this via Facebook. No need to elaborate on how obvious I am on regards of all things Bacon.

A while ago I tried Turkey Bacon in the hopes of keeping my particularly difficult metabolism at bay but efforts amounted to a failed attempt to fool my knowledgeable tastebuds, so after trying real hard I have succumbed to use the real thing in my cooking.

Long live the Bacon :-)

10 Facts About You

2011-10-20T03:15:00.000-04:00

1. You're reading this right now.

2. You're realizing that is a useless fact

4. You didn't notice I skipped three.

5. You're checking right now.

6. You're smiling.

7. You're still reading this even though it is kind of stupid.

9. You didn't realize I skipped eight.

10. You're checking again and smiling about how you fell for it again.

11. You're actually enjoying this.

12. You didn't realize there's only supposed to be then facts.

So now that this little social-engineering experiment is over (hey, I was a test subject too), we can go back to face the daily grind whatever kind of grind it may be.

Have a nice day!

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Welcome To This World

2011-09-26T08:38:00.000-04:00

Who gets the pie in the face once the kid grows up and shuns that "cleansing from all sin" episode shortly after he/she was born?

Knowing that I was baptized has done little as not to say nothing to me, the decisions I have taken, the path in life that I have followed. When I got married I had to complete the rest of the religious stuff I didn't followed up in my younger years, namely that thing called Confirmation. It was either that or I wouldn't get hitched so more than appeasing the wrath for being such a bad catholic person I had to appease the moral standards of the society around me, starting with the one of the woman I was engaged to.

So I decided to take the bull by its horns and do the deed. Went to the classes which was sort of an intense course for us late bloomers (into Catholicism). Being the pragmatic SOB I can be I gave the nuns a fight for every inch of religious landscape they thought would be an easy gain... I had to stay awake somehow during those sessions so I decided to question question question and question every little thing they pushed, but not so much to get me thrown out of the group.

It was funny because a few years after I sometimes came across one of the nuns holding the classes while working at a radio station that was one wall away from the temple, and she remembered me greeting me well all the time, once saying "I had been one of the most interesting persons to attend her school".

Upon 'graduation' I jumped at the chance of speaking out during the ceremonies. My father and mother were surprised by this... mum was happy but didn't overtly showed any enthusiasm fearing I may have an ulterior motive behind my decision to participate - thing was that the Archbishop would be attending and that made the whole thing super important to the community... the church would be PACKED!.

Flashback to a few years before.

This "Santuario de Guadalupe" church had a quite good audio system by Bose. I was annoyed to no end that every person speaking on the podium always came about WORST than the baddest NY Subway conductor over the intercom, and no, I wasn't paying attention to the sermon nor readings. I always wondered why this would be. Was the audio system inappropriate for the church settings? bad microphones? badly deployed speaker system? those were the questions that troubled me and made the whole 40 or 50 minute mass ordeal bearable - dating had that as a must have requirement... no mass, no fun. Sucked.

Flashforward to the confirmation ceremony.

I volunteered to do a responsorial. Got my paper notes and approached the podium. Loud clear voice into the microphone and GEEZUS ALL MIGHTY, I could clearly hear myself over the PA system!, no voice mush, no muddled echoes, no boring drone tone.... so it was actually ALL IN THE PERSON talking. Theory proven, a myth busted!.

Funny bit number two: once the protocol was over we all recent glorified confirmed (oh boy) paraded in front of the Archbishop, when it was my turn to shake his hand he asked "great participation son, tell me... do you work in radio?" - "yes sir, but not behind a microphone: I'm the engineer"; I guess he was a bit disappointed by the look on his face. Even the church has no respect for engineers. Bummer.

So this all I reminisce on whenever I see or hear about the power of baptism to clean the souls of newborn children. Poor things we are to be branded as GUILTY as soon as we grasp our first breath out of the womb.

The original sin. Yeah right.

PS. I didn't confess as requested/required before the confirmation. Am I going to Hell?

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In the beginning

2011-09-15T01:00:00.000-04:00

Changing the strings on my old Spanish Classic guitar I couldn't but help remember the first time I picked up the instrument and decided I had to learn how to play it.

Music has been a long standing tradition in my family mostly from my father's side: he plays the guitar, my grandfather played the guitar and so do my uncle and cousins. I still have a clear memory of a Saturday morning when barely 8 years old I grabbed my dad's guitar and took it to my parent's bedroom and I don't think I even said "good morning" when I handed it to him and asked 'Dad, how does this thing play?'; he was a good sport (probably glad of seeing my interest on the instrument) and the first lesson was the C Am Dm G7 chord progression.

After I learned the finger positions I went back to our room and took it from there, that was the only one lesson my Dad ever gave to me, the rest I picked up from his extensive song book collection... 36 years later the learning has never stopped, although I took a wrong turn somewhere early on and most of it has been on the rock and roll and heavy metal side of things.

The very first song I learned based on the chord progression noted before:

"El Reloj" (The Clock) is a very famous song written by Armando Manzanero and immortalized by many artists, Los Panchos being one of the most prominent ones... this is the music I listened at home as I grew up those early years, my beginning:

Clock, don't mark the hours
Otherwise I'll go insane
She is going to leave forever
When the sun rises again

We only have this night left
To live our love
And your tick tock reminds me
Of my helpless pain

Clock, stop your course
Because my life is extinguishing
She's the star that lights my being
I'm nothing without her love

Stop the time in your hands
Make this night perpetual
So that she will never leave me
So that the sunrise will never come

We only have this night left
To live our love
And your tick tock reminds me
Of my helpless pain

Clock, stop your course
Because my life is extinguishing
She's the star that lights my being
I'm nothing without her love

Stop the time in your hands
Make this night perpetual
So that she will never leave me
So that the sunrise will never come
So that the sunrise will never come...

Coffee Days

2011-09-14T03:45:00.000-04:00

While it is still too early to see the cold days roll in as I write this, I am nevertheless preparing for what happens to be the season when I go for the daily cup of coffee - FULLY caffeinated, the thing has little buzz effect on me so why skip on the good stuff?. Usually during the warmer months I don't drink coffee unless it is iced, but still it is more of an exception.

It so happens I found the perfect soundtrack for the upcoming coffee days:

For the benefit of the untrained souls on Death Metal, here are the lyrics:

Do you folks Like Coffee?
Real Coffee,
From the Hills Of Colombia?

The Duncan Hills awake you
From A Thousand Deaths.
A Cup Of blackened Blood.
(Die, Die)
You're Dying For A Cup.

Guatemala Blend,
Ethiopian,
French Vanilla Roast.
(Die, Die)
You're Dying For A Cup.

Prepare For Ultimate Flavor!
You're Gonna Get Some... now
And Scream... For Your Cream

[Solo]

Duncan Hills,
Duncan Hills,
Duncan Hills Coffee

So, do you folks like coffee? :-)

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A Decade Gone

2011-09-11T08:46:00.000-04:00

I went to Manhattan early yesterday one day before the 9-11 tragedy got to be 10 years old. Living and working in NYC there is not a single day that my recollections of that day don’t come to mind.

I was 2,500 miles away that day working in a manufacturing plant just across the border from Nogales Arizona. One of my fellow co-workers that happened to live in Arizona walked in to our department wit a rushed stance saying that there had been an accident in NYC. Soon we all got into our computers and tried to get to news sites… tough order as all were overloaded and we got nothing. A quick stroll downstairs to the conference room we got the TV on and there we stood for most of the morning; production came to a stop, all of the US based staff was recalled to the Arizona side and us the remaining were more or less left in charge of the operation in Mexico.

My first thoughts were with the fire & EMT responders. One thing I never expected to see was both buildings crumble down how they did. Again my thoughts were with the fire & EMT responders, I feared the worst and soon it was confirmed: 343 dead.

Fast forward to the first sightings of the authorities. I didn’t like the Bush administration from before, so when George’s “you’re either with us or against us” speech bit came to be, right then and there I knew things were turning for the uglier and what little sympathy I had for the US governmental body went out the window. I knew those words were the worst to use under such emotional circumstances, and also knew that they would be used to justify greater crimes in the name of purported new world menace: terrorism.

How much have we lost under the guise of policies supposed to be set to make our life more secure?. Ten years after and we have:

Ill conceived security measures on airports.
Illegal spying and arrests justified by an embarrassingly named “Patriot Act”.
A no end in sight war on the Middle East.
NYC police state lockdowns.
The worst reputation the USA has ever had in the international theater.

Its sad to see that those who claim to protect it are the ones that have done the most harm. In my mind Bush, Chenney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice and a slew of other political figures are amongst the greatest traitors this country can count about, they have lied and misrepresented the best interests of the country.

It doesn’t take real effort to be certain that we are set for another ass kicking. And it will be worst than what happened 10 years ago, that’s the bestial nature of man, to keep topping itself on new ways to sink to new lows, religion and politics being the fuel that drives that. As always, it will be the innocent ones that will pay the dearest.

We are all responsible for what happened one September 11 in one of the greatest cities of the world. We will be responsible of the next one as well if we don’t wake up from our stupor and change our ways.

Our sons and daughters deserve better. Thus far we’re failing them.

In Perspective

2011-09-04T23:15:00.006-04:00

According to NASA there are about 45 stars close to Earth within 17 Light-Years distance, in layman’s terms that means that the light from the furthest one of those 45 starts takes about 17 years to get to our planet.

Also according to NASA and other agencies studies, there are about 200 billion stars in our Galaxy.

To say that every time we look at the stars in our night sky we are living their past is an understatement: The light of some of the stars we are able to perceive is getting to us from bodies that died THOUSANDS and even MILLIONS of years go, their lights beacons of a once bright past that's no longer there.

Can’t think about this all without seeing how feeble and meaningless to the Universe the passage of our lives is. We can hope at best about 80 Earth years on average if we’re lucky, and how do we employ those Universal picoseconds? abusing this planet, abusing nature and then bicker among ourselves to the death on menial things; to top it off we do like we do with an arrogant belief that this all was made for us to dispose of.

I was just by looking at the night sky.

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Excuse The Pun

2011-08-21T14:54:00.005-04:00

Was going to post something political in the blog but then I got depressed to some extent... it seems it doesn't matter where I make my living, the monumental stupidity and self-serving demeanor of the political caste is UNIVERSAL, knows no borders.

So, instead of putting a dark and somber cloud over this blog, I found a fun article that should lighten things up. It's the puns!

1. The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.

5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.

10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'

13. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'

15. The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

16. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

17. A backward poet writes inverse.

18. In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.

19. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris , you'd be in Seine...

20. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, 'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.'

21. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

22. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my electron.' The other says 'Are you sure?' The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive'.

--

If at least a smirk was brought upon...

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The Status Quo

2011-07-30T16:52:00.005-04:00

Been away this past month, blame the life off from the networked world for that - it has been an amazing July to say the least. Good to tale a step back into the blogging world.

It has been a few days that I have seen an Infiniti commercial on TV with a GREAT line about the Status Quo. In case you've missed it here it is:

I believe the "If no one ever challenged the status quo, the Earth would still be flat" summarizes a LOT in a few words, basically that the drive to think outside the box is what moves civilization forward... the liberal way as some will see it.

Looking back into the connecting dots my life provides up to this day, I see much of that philosophy ruling the decisions I have made. Some have been met with not much disruption but a few have really shaken the pillars of heaven - to quote a line from Big Trouble in Little China, those didn't grant me new friends, alienated some and even got me in trouble with the family :-)

While researching for this Infiniti commercial on-line I found that the concept has been adopted by quite a few religious outlets, I read some of the blogs promoting it and in the end I could not help but laugh at the inappropriateness of the idea being embraced by the groups of people who will adhere with a twenty fingers cling to the status quo their teachings sustain. Be it the religion it be. I just need to peek into the Roman Catholic and all its derivatives to get an idea of how fervent they have been before on keeping the status quo as static as possible, no need to go that far to know who prosecuted to death anybody that challenged the thought of the Earth being as flat as a tortilla.

Now these people embrace the idea giving it a biblical spin... on Noah, Moses, Hebrews, Jesus.

Let them be. For they don't know what they are doing!

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Job Application

2011-06-30T20:51:00.001-04:00

Going over some papers that could be thrown away, I found my old job appplication to Wal-Mart:

Name: Rogelio Perea

Sex: Not lately, but I'm looking for the right woman (or one that will cooperate)

Desired Position: Company President or Vice President. But seriously whatever is available. If I was in a position to be picky, I wouldn't be applying here in the first place.

Desired Salary: $185,000 a year plus stock options and a Lee R. Raymond style severance package. If that's not possible make an offer and we'll haggle.

Education: Decent enough.

Last Position Held: Target for middle management hostility.

Previous Salary: A lot less than I'm worth.

Most notable achievement: My incredible collection of stolen pens and post-it notes.

Reason for leaving: It sucked.

Hours available to work: Any

Preferred hours: 1:30-3:30 PM Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Do you have any special skills: Yes, but they are more suited to an intimate environment.

May we contact your current employer: If I had one would I be here?

Do you have any physical conditions that would prohibit you from lifting up to 50 lbs.? of what and how often?

Do you have a car? I think the more appropriate question here would be: Do you have a car that runs?

Have your received any special Awards or Recognition? I may already be a winner of the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes, so they tell me.

What would you like to be doing in 5 years? Living in the Bahamas with a fabulously wealthy dumb sexy brunette supermodel who thinks I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread. Actually I'd like to be doing that now.

Nearest Relative: 27 miles

Do you certify that the above is true and complete to the best of your knowledge? Oh Yes, absolutely!

--

Fortunately, I didn't get the job.

I was just a KID

2011-06-12T09:33:00.001-04:00

Allow me to properly setup the mood:

The discussions on this subject show the deep and seemingly impassable divide between the main two schools of thought, the classic confrontation of the one FOR and the one AGAINST.

Going back to my childhood - something that can be established started to happen about 40 something years ago (ha!) - I don't remember dealing with any of this modern day psychiatric labeling on kids, we would be either slow, fast, hyperactive, easy going, grumpy, funny... nothing was said about being bipolar, or suffering from some kind of spooky sounding deficit.

When did this started to happen?

In a society that has a fondness to quickly jump into the medications bandwagon, I see kids that are dragged into a label and ensuing medical treatment just for being a KID, one of the worst examples on how we shun, label and toss in a group of 'special' people just because their behaviour does not conform the standard.

I recognize there are some situations where professional treatment is called for - no argument there, but this branch of the medical services suffers from what hits the practice in the whole: selling drugs is good business and as long as we have all these kids who will turn into adults under a psychiatric label business will be good.

I'm pretty sure that if I had been taken into a psychiatrist in my kid days with today's disorder enhanced magnifying glass I would have walked out with some deficiency that would have explained my introverted quiet and emotional nature in an impressive string of medicalese terms; same goes for my kid. Lucky for me my parents were no raised themselves like that and I have not raised my kid like that: looking for a quick an easy solution accompained with a pill to get peace of mind on a percepived social inadequacy.

Smart Phone?

2011-06-10T22:32:00.004-04:00

Ever since the advent of the now ubiquitous cell-phone, I have not seen with a good eye how much stuff the manufacturers have crammed inside those devices. Their justification is that they are just responding to the needs and wants of consumers but IMHO I think this is just a ruse to create a need and push technologies on unsuspecting customers who will then bend over backwards to be the first ones to have (the keeping up with the Joneses syndrome), while looking away at the initial and maintenance costs of their new toys, and by cost I am not only implying the monetary kind, the cost could be far greater than just money...

I was reminded of this a couple of days ago while waiting for a bus at the Eltingville Transit Center in Staten Island. The weather has been kind of leaning to the mild extreme of hot plus humid, maybe these factors had something to do on initiating an event that required the full and immediate attention of those close by: I was just standing there playing around with my not too shabby Blackberry Smart Phone when I heard a desperate plea for help from somewhere on my back; I turn around and there was this disheveled mother holding his kid asking for someone to call 911, I immediately tried to engage my phone and the dreaded thing went to its 'hourglass' wait mode as it started to exit the web browser session I had open, trying to switch manually did not work... the seconds kept on ticking and there I was with a useless piece of technology for a moment of need.

Lucky for the kid and the mother there was a retired RN near by and she called the emergency response services from her tiny no frills cell phone. By then few people had gathered and already were comforting the mother and the 11 years-old child, he had started to come out of whatever caused him to slump on his mom while seating outside the terminal. The FD ambulance got in, helped out to direct them to the location and give them a run down of what had happened - they took the kid to a hospital, from what I know things turned out OK.

But as I got on the bus taking me home I couldn't stop thinking how powerless I felt of not having the proper means to make a simple phone call when it was most needed, I felt really stupid about my smart phone. The whole event hit a nerve: I thought "that could have been my kid" and the years I spent at the FD handling myriads of calls like this also kicked in and fueled an instinct of throwing away the Blackberry right then and there.

This encompasses my whole take on technology, we have so much that the focus on its proper use has been lost. Mentally I made up a list and asked:

Do I REALLY need (on my cell phone)...

access to the Internet? No
texting? No
a stills camera? No
a video camera? No
a music player? No
a video player? No
a gaming platform? No

Wow, turns out I only need standard phone capabilities on my cell phone. All those options are, besides battery life hogs, merely distractions from what the main purpose of the TOOL is: talking, and by talking I don't mean un-respectfully yapping all the time in public places: there has to be something to talk about with your parties once you see them in person so that unneeded call on the bus or sidewalk or office or restaurant CAN wait. Same goes for the texting.

Of course that is something cell phone network operators and phone manufacturers do NOT want to encourage, usage gimmick craze they need to keep on making good money.

Not for me anymore. For a brief moment in time I thought of replacing the BB with an iPhone, both for me and my kid, but the event described above made me re-evaluate my options, once an emergency respondent always an emergency respondent. Nothing guarantees how things will turn out at the spur of a moment, but the odds of them happening in the least intrusive way are greatly reduced if we just keep a leveled head on how we conduct ourselves with the fascinating technology we have on tap today.

I'll get an iPad for the fun on the go, but my next cell phone will be just that: a plain and simple cell-phone.

Marriage Ads

2011-06-06T16:59:00.000-04:00

FISHERMAN:
Wife wanted, must be able to dig, clean, cook worms and clean fish. Must have own boat with motor. Please send photograph of motorboat.

SALESMAN:
Once in a lifetime offer, to get yourself the original, genuine article.One of the most handsome and smartest bachelor’s around is now looking for a wife.

MATHEMATICIAN:
Wife required to complete the formula of my life. Must be numerate and understand complex algebraic logarithms. Needed to help further my family unit.

IT CONSULTANT:
Well there is definite room for improvement in my life. The speed of my current flows of information and processes is slowing down and the injection of a wife into my life is bound to improve efficiency. Compatibility could be an issue.

CAR DEALER:
Wanted a sturdy, reliable, low depreciating wife. Should be in excellent working condition.

PILOT:
Wife required to complete my life. Please only level headed applicants. She must not have her heads in the clouds, but have her feet firmly on the ground. Her heart must be in it for the long haul. And she absolutely must also be aerodynamically sound.

BANKER:
Wanted wife who takes interest in me and credits me with her service.

ACCOUNTANT:
Required a girl - 5'8" and 36" 24" 36" with a good head for figures. She must be averse to making unnecessary expenditure and her very nature should be one of generating as few expenses in my life as possible.

DOCTOR:
I am looking for a wife to cure the emptiness in my life. However if you feel the need for a second opinion then it’s fine by me.

ARMY COMMANDO:
My mission in life is to find myself the perfect wife. Successful applicants must be able to use a penknife and a compass. She who dares wins. Camouflage provided.

ASTRONAUT:
I’m searching for a wife to fill the space in my life. Someone to share my universe. Must have looks that are out of this world!

--

There, my good-deed post of the month is done! :-)

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On Memorial Day

2011-05-30T23:40:00.003-04:00

As usual these days find me traveling, this post written at Phoenix Sky Harbor as I wait for the second leg of my return trip to New York City.

Seen a lot of military personnel in the airports and lots of people providing thank-yous left and right, airlines offering skip-the-boarding line to the guys and gals in uniform. This I take as a perfect window and gauge of the nation's goose-stepping fever and this comes from a long time pro-military service doctrine this country dispenses to its citizens since the moment kids learn to read.

I have been labeled a bad Mexican Citizenship before and I am about to provide grounds to be labeled a bad US Citizen too.

Why?

I do not think the military should be appraised with such reverence. In fact, I am all hands up to establish that no-one should be appraised for doing the work that is expected of them.That concept I bestow specially on the soldiers of all the world (I'm flag color blind in that regard). Their business is a nasty one and I understand that sometimes it has to be done - some people do not get it except whit a show of force, so be it. But as far as Memorial Day goes...

I went to pick up my kid at school on his last days as an 8th grader; one day I saw something that turned up my stomach and it was two Army recruiters handing out brochures and talking to these 14-15 year old kids as they exited the school. The soldiers played tag with them, told them jokes and talked about a military career. Can't they wait until these kids have a better understanding of their roles in the world before attempting them to don a uniform and wield a gun?

And all in a so-called duty to defend the country and our way of life.

On Memorial Day I can't partake on celebration. Some say I should, there are after all a few relatives with their names inscribed in walls or buried in mass graves from the 'great' wars of yesteryear. All for what? - we have neo Nazis in our backyards and juicy business deals setting up in Vietnam.

Our way of life has nothing to do with protecting business overseas, nor our freedom depends on propping political puppets and getting rid of those who no longer appeal to keeping the fortunes of the rich in the ever growing trends. These kind of shennanigans are the ones that have us in deep shit these days on the International theater.

The real tragedy is that the ones that do the dying are always the same. Just bring the boys back home and lets keep them here, where they could actually do some good and really be a bastion of defense of our way of life and our freedom..

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May 21st 2011

2011-05-15T10:17:00.000-04:00

Where will YOU be on that fateful Saturday?. There are many conflicting beliefs concerning the Big Event...

Some say Believers will be called to Heaven -- it will be The Rapture.

Some say Believers will receive hernias -- it will be The Rupture.

Some say Believers will receive horrific flatulence -- it will be The Ripture.

Some say Believers will be hanged -- it will be The Ropeture.

Some say Believers will receive Indian currency -- it will be The Rupeeture.

Some say Believers will visit Jurassic Park and get eaten by Dinoasaurs -- it will be The Raptore.

Some say Believers will become hip-hop artists -- it will be The Rap-ture.

And some say Punsters will receive what's coming to them -- it will be The Thwapture.

--

Humbly I await my well deserved punishment... THWAP!

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Geek Post II

2011-05-08T08:40:00.003-04:00

It has been an interesting quest to find a suitable off-line blogging tool to use under Linux. After some dedicated searches and application installs and removes (something that kind of exercised my CLI abilities) it seems Blogilo is the best suited answer to this.

While on this pursuit I also found what is the BEST tool for Mac OS X: MarsEdit - better than Windows Live Writer (yay!) and in fact good enough to make me think a good idea on totting the MacBook around to take care of writing fits, thing is that the Apple laptop doesn't really get around that way: too much power to be wielded on the wild. I usually walk around with an AcerOne netbook in my backpack - battery life is extremely good and the small keyboard is not that bad for my rather big hands... this is the one where Windows Live Writer lives under WinXP.

So now I have a real excuse to trade up in my backpack from the Acer to the T30, hardware's a little bit heavier but that should be offset by the sheer power shadow that Linux casts over Windows, that and the man points that come from looking hot-stuff-geek with the IBM+Linux setup are not to be found elsewhere!

By the way, Blogilo means Blog Tool in Esperanto. How much COOLER can that get?. I tell ya, man points. MAN POINTS :-)

Geek Post I

2011-05-07T12:22:00.001-04:00

Not much to write about this time, basically testing an off-line blog editor for use under Linux (Ubuntu to be exact).

I got spoiled to Windows Live Writer not too long ago and immediately started to look for an alternative to use with my T30 Thinkpad. Ended up with this now considered old laptop a while ago and decided to make it my portable geek platform and installed Ubuntu on it... ahhh, memories of my first steps with Linux mid 90s when times we really tough - yeap, only the dedicated and true to their hearts hackers found fun installing the early distributions of Linux, today everything is so easy!

The tool I am using is called Blog Entry Poster and is as simple an application can be. I wish it had WYSIWYG image uploads and other nifty things like setting the post entry options (date/time stamp and keywords), but that will have to wait until the one and be-all of all blogger tools BloGTK gets the attention it needs to have it work with Ubuntu 11.

Back to hacker mode then :-)

Time: Error 404

2011-04-22T20:00:00.004-04:00

Posts have been sparse I know. And not because of a lack of ideas, almost everyday I spend some time thinking about a news story, something I see on the job or on the street that could be blog worth material... but when it comes to actually sit down and post it I find myself doing other things (nothing is a valid other thing!), and by the end of the day the blog sits unattended.

Looking back at the four or five years I've been here on Blogger, it's clear to see the spikes of activity on the previous. Maybe I had a bit more time to burn writing up crazy stuff left and right? Maybe :-)

Sometimes I have gone very political, sometimes very stupid, sometimes maybe sentimental, others funny (I hope)... the building blocks of my personality I guess. Heck, I probably could use this blog as a presentation card and part of my résumé under the 'Interests & Activities' heading - any tentative employer that would deny me the opportunity to work for them based on what they read here would most likely be a lame place to work anyway, nice tool to steer clear of bad career moves. All right!.

In this day and age of social engineering, phishing, security leaks et al, some people are kind of extreme prudent on what they do or say online. A while ago I read an article on someone who decided to be very public with their on-line doings; the author of the article stated that the more people knew about his ventures, the less likely anyone could pin him on a wrongdoing somewhere - I see the validity of this and sort of decided those many years ago to never keep a low profile on the Internet.

Since then (probably 15 years ago or so at the very least) the breadcrumbs of my passage are spread all over the place on the 'net. Sometimes when catching up to a long lost acquaintance and if in the hurry of the moment there is no time to exchange business cards or telephone numbers, I just tell them "google my name, first page of results you can find how to get in touch with me"; but of course there are no guarantees on what comes up on pages two and forward of the search results.

;-)

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The Life of a Rock Star

2011-04-10T13:33:00.000-04:00

The title does have a nice ring to it but my life as such is far from what is the given understanding of “the life of a Rock Star”. It is one out of three from the old sex, drugs and rock and roll for me.

Take for example last night’s Lyxx (my band) return as a full blast 5 piece band to the New York City stages: It is a Saturday late evening gig, how does the day transpire?:

First with a good night sleep. My weekdays are full of early morning job outings so any day that I get to wake up after 6am it is a full night sleep day, thus the gig Saturday starts with a get up straight into making the first decent breakfast of the week, it has to be something (bacon, sausage, ham, etc) with eggs, a freshly made carafe of coffee or a tall glass of milk.

Then do a quick check of the gear, fix anything that may need fixing or adjusting and then worry that I might not have enough spare drum sticks… check the bag, there are 3 pairs in there, two are brand new… say to myself ‘I have to go to the store and get at least two more’, then forget about it.

I take good care of my stuff so it is very rare when something breaks (short of the sticks) so after I am happy I’ll leave it and move on to TV watching, maybe do some laundry and relax. It is a Saturday after all.

Close to mid-day I review my transportation options. I could drive to Manhattan and have a good time at it, but as the venue where we are playing has the basic drums stuff already there I don’t have to haul any heavy equipment, so good old MTA and Google Maps to the rescue. Ok, that’s settled… what’s for lunch?

Any pending house chores get completed, it’s a small apartment with only one dweller so that will go quickly. It is time though to take out the snare drum and check its tuning; I usually do this within 6 hours of the gig to have it as ‘fresh’ as possible. One last check on everything and off I go, rock out the place and mingle with the crowd and other bands on the remainder of the night.

Once while strolling around Times Square with my kid - as we were coming out of the glitzy McDonalds on 42nd street - there was a limo waiting for someone; I made a witty comment ‘don’t understand why my band doesn’t get the VIP treatment with limos and stuff’, to which he responded ‘dad, it is because you are not that famous, I like your music and your friends in the band but….’

Yet, if anyone had ever told me 30 years ago that as I am today I would be playing in a band that caters to my favorite music and in – of all places: New York City, I would have not believed it. I’ll take this as the best of a life as a rockstar as I can get.

Green Day?. Looks RED to me.

2011-03-17T09:07:00.003-04:00

As my kid ventures in further into his schooling in the US public system, I find with dismay the revisionist stance history teachings are provided with. The old adage that history is written by the victors proves correct and there seems to be no counterpoint given to form an educated opinion on events past; I believe this only leads to a myopic vision of the world and the place this country really has on it.

St. Patricks Day is celebrated in the US from coast to coast and I sure many of those who raise their ales and dress up in green know little of one of the background stories that relate with our neighbours south of the border, and I know this from fact as I come from there.

Turns out that several hundred immigrants and expatriates of European descent fought as part of the Mexican Army against the United States in the Mexican-American War of 1846 to 1848. Most of the battalion's members had deserted or defected from the U.S. Army: ethnic Irish and German Catholic immigrants, Canadians, English, French, Italians, Poles, Scots, Spaniards, Swiss, and native Mexicans, most of whom were Roman Catholics; disenfranchised Americans were in the ranks, including escaped slaves from the American South. The Mexican government offered incentives to foreigners who would enlist in its army granting them citizenship, paying higher wages than the U.S. Army and the offer of generous land grants. Only a few members of the Saint Patrick's Battalion were actual U.S. citizens.

In the aftermath of that interventionist war, the San Patricios were treated by the US as traitors and those captured were summarily judged and executed. Hanging was reserved only for spies (without uniform) and for "atrocities against civilians", neither of which activities were among the charges brought against any members of the Saint Patricio's Battalion. Although more than 9,000 U.S. soldiers deserted the army during the Mexican-American War, only the San Patricios were punished by hanging.

By order of Gen. Winfield Scott, thirty San Patricios were to be executed at Chapultepec in full view of the two armies who had fought there, at the precise moment that the flag of the U.S. replaced the flag of Mexico atop the citadel. This order was carried out by Col. William Harney.

While overseeing the hangings, Harney ordered a Francis O'Connor hanged even though the man had had both legs amputated the previous day. When the army surgeon informed the colonel that the absent soldier had lost both his legs in battle, Harney replied: "Bring the damned son of a bitch out! My order was to hang 30 and by God I'll do it!"

Then people wonder why there could be animosity against the US. With a track record like that it should not come as a surprise.

One country's traitors are others heroes. The San Patricios are remembered as heroes in Mexico despite what the text books in the US schools say; the kids of today here know the word 'insurgency' as a word to describe US soldier killers... I grew up with 'insurgent' as a concept on the one who fought for liberty against an oppressing 'motherland' - which in this case happened to be Spain when it held a tight grip on most of America (the CONTINENT) back in the day.

I am sure that as the Libya conflict escalates, the word 'insurgent' will be stripped out of all newscasts - the 'rebel' designation is starting to show up in the reports. Check your dictionaries, both terms generally mean the same thing... are we re-writing history into our future benefit again?

I leave you with this - The St. Patricks Battalion Bagpipes Band from Mexico City performing a traditional Mexican medley:

Happy St. Patricks Day. Anyway.

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Mum taught me

2011-03-11T03:43:00.000-05:00

My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION ...
"Just wait until your father gets home."

My Mother taught me about RECEIVING ...
"You are going to get it when we get home!"

My Mother taught me to MEET A CHALLENGE ...
"What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you ... Don't talk back to me!"

My Mother taught me LOGIC ...
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

My Mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE ...
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

My Mother taught me to THINK AHEAD ...
"If you don't pass your spelling test, you'll never get good job."

My Mother taught me ESP ...
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you're cold?"

My Mother taught me HUMOR ...
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT...
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

My Mother taught me about SEX ...
"How do you think you got here?"

My Mother taught me about GENETICS ...
"You're just like your father."

My Mother taught me about my ROOTS ...
"Do you think you were born in a barn?"

My Mother taught me about WISDOM OF AGE ...
"When you get to be my age, you will understand."

And my all time favorite... JUSTICE...
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you. Then you'll see what it's like."

--

Love you mum :-)

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And drummers are...

2011-03-07T10:35:00.002-05:00

They are the butt end of some great jokes (for starters), some go like so:

How do you tell if the stage is level? The drummer is drooling from both sides of his mouth.

How many drummers does it take to change a light bulb? Five: One to screw the bulb in, and four to talk about how much better Neil Peart could have done it.

What does a drummer use for contraception? His personality.

Why is a drum machine better than a drummer? Because it can keep good time and won't sleep with your girlfriend.

What has three legs and an asshole? A drum stool.

What did the drummer say to the band leader? Do you want me to play too fast or too slow?

and the GOLDEN one:

What's the difference between a drummer and a government bond? Government bonds mature and make money.

I've heard them all, most of them at least.

But now it is the time for all good drummers to get some redemption. The study is a bit old and it was forwarded to me recently by a friend, it seems that a professor Fredrik Ullén at the Stockholm Brain Institute published an essay in 2008 with stereotype shattering findings that noted:

Drummers are natural intellectuals

The article posted by The Telegraph can be found following this link.

I really need to print out a banner of the above conclusion and set it on the 'spare' room, the one that doubles as a sound studio.

Keeping the spirit alive :-)

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Get The Funk Out!

2011-02-27T10:38:00.006-05:00

More than once I have been told I tend to run my household as a lab, that means everything is usually on a given place, it is used and cleaned and set back, no strays here and there; I'm the kind that can not sit to watch TV, notice a spec of dust on the furniture and then do nothing about it.

Kitchen wise I guess it is even more boy scout: never a fan of leaving dirty dishes on the sink (or washing machine) to toil for a few hours before getting to wash them; stove must be wiped clean specially after cooking a jumpy dish (fried fish, tomato sauce, etc), same goes for the Microwave Oven. This is where the inspiration for this post comes from :-)

The Microwave Oven does not get much use and that was confirmed this morning as while preparing breakfast I ran out of burners on the stove, needed one more to heat up the water for the coffee. So I turned to the micro: filled up a tall cup with water and opened the oven door... SWEET HOLY MOTHER OF CULTURES! - what I saw in there were two KFC Styrofoam containers holding what once was mashed potatoes and gravy, *was* because there were some things growing in there and from what I could see they were ALIVE.

Quickly I dumped them on a plastic bag (recycling the good ol' grocery bags) while holding my breath and then onto the trash bin. Damn. I bought take out two weeks ago, and I must have tried to reheat the leftovers the day after as I came back from work, probably the main course must have been enough that I completely forgot about the KFC stuff in the oven.

Mold Funk. That's how I can describe the smell that lingered in the oven. I wiped the whole interior with cleaner but still the funk was there. What to do?

Bacon to the rescue (oh great Bacon!). I had cooked four strips this morning as well to use the grease drippings for a later on refried beans concoction, so the dried out strips were there on a small plate. Doing my best Spock impersonation I uttered a "Live Long and Prosper" as I shoved the bacon strips plate into the oven and proceeded to reheat.

30 seconds later all that could be perceived in the oven and the kitchen as well was bacon. That was about an hour or so ago, revisiting the oven and sniffing for the offending mold funk only returned the sweet smell of bacon.

So chalk one more up for the greatness of one of the awesomest pork by-products.

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The Lemming Effect

2011-02-18T16:18:00.000-05:00

New York City has been an excellent place to observe the social behaviour of the so-called civilized primates otherwise known as human beings. I am one of them and am an avid observer as well, the opportunity of being one of the bunch provides for a first seat courtside chance of watching, analyzing and come up with a study conclusion; this time I volunteer the notion that we human beings when bunched up together in large groups, we behave like lemmings.

Case in point: The Subway

Blame it perhaps on the New York Minute, but people seem to be rushing everywhere. I understand some may have a valid and pressing reason to run to catch a cab, bus, subway car, elevator entrance, etc., but most of us don’t, and yet we conduct ourselves as if we had the need.

Yesterday I was waiting for the number 1 train at the Columbus Circle platform. The line had been running late as I saw quite the crowd gathered on the downtown bound platform anxiously peering in to the black hole from where the trains materialize… as if persistent leaning over would speed up the service. Then the train arrives and the crowd bunches up near the doors making it cumbersome for those who are getting off, then the inrush to fit inside wherever. I saw them pile up like sardines and be taken away.

Case in point: Whitehall Ferry Terminal

The boats have a capacity to haul 3,000+ in general (except for the late night but that’s a different story). The crowds really gather during the morning and evening rush hours, add to the numbers the tourists that take advantage of the free ride by the Statue of Liberty. Same deal here, a good 15 to 20 minutes the boarders group up by the access doors and when it gets close to load-in time the mass just pile against the doors.

---

Lemmings. Where one goes the others mindlessly follow. Bui the critters just follow an instinct. We humans are supposed to be rational.

Let these serve as tips as to how to behave like a buck trending New Yorker, one that doesn’t let the New York Minute rule his or her life:

The Subway. Unless a real one in blue Moon incident happens, the trains will pick up the schedule asap, there will be another train following close by the first one that comes packed to the hilt. I just had to wait 2 measly minutes to ride the 1 to the Ferry Terminal in practically empty cars.

The Ferry Terminal. The ferry is NOT a speedboat nor does the crew expect all passengers to load up like Navy SEALs. The boat ain’t going anywhere while the platforms are still engaged – the terminal doors may be closed but if the platforms are still set, the boat won’t move… there IS time to board without haste, and plenty of seats to find.

I will say the same on the bus stops, elevator calls and street crossings. What does anyone win by cutting off a minute or two of just waiting for their turn?.

Lemmings will always be lemmings. Humans, given the opportunity, will behave like lemmings without a second thought – and worse yet, in total disregard for their own safety.

Don’t be a lemming :-)

First Impressions

2011-02-05T17:45:00.003-05:00

The cold and cloudy days bring back some fond memories as it was pretty much like today’s conditions in New York City the ones that prevailed when for the first time I visited the North East area of the US.

Back in 1998 I had just joined a manufacturing company in Nogales Sonora México, the corporate offices based in Boston. As part of my training I was flown in for a month stay early in my tenure at this company; I got to the city early in the morning after a problem in Minneapolis / St Paul delayed the trip for a good 8 hours or so – the person I was to meet for dinner the day before left a message at the hotel asking to be called as soon as I got in to arrange for the next day.

I call him and got the preliminaries of the plan for the day, I slept for 3 or 4 hours and then started to get ready. It was then that I realized I had left out of my baggage an essential item, one that I could not do without: hair brush. My hair was lengthy enough to require the brush. My new boss was about to arrive and with a quick glance at my options I had only… the toothbrush – who knew they could also do hair?. Needless to say I saved the first impression from being a bad one, first thing to do once we cleared the to-dos and I was behind the wheel of the rental car, was a stop at the drugstore to get the missing hairbrush. I still have that on my travel kit as a reminder.

Second round at first impressions that could have gone wrong was my first day at work here in NYC one January morning in 2004. I had taken the care of lying down my dress-up options for the first day and decided on the brand new black jeans. Lay them out in bed to pick up the right shirt and there I was walking down 59th street over to Park Avenue where the office used to be then. Now I had been told that New Yorkers were people not to make eye contact with while walking on the sidewalk, not to pay attention to the schemes of panhandlers here and there.

A blizzard had passed by a couple of days earlier so it was snowed in and iced so I was paying extra care to my walking around… did manage to notice giggles behind me while waiting for the light to cross the street; deliberately I allowed a couple behind me to walk ahead and as I was on the middle of the street the guy turns around and tells me smiling: “Don’t mean to bother you but… your jeans still have the labels on the back and your leg”. So much for the indoctrination I had received about New Yorkers, embarrassed (I flush easily) I thanked the guy and as soon as I hit the sidewalk I fell around and sure enough: a long sticker was still attached to the back of my thigh and the cardboard label stitched loosely on the back pocket – a quick pull resolved the problem and thanks to a good Samaritan I saved face as I strolled in for my first day at work in the Big Apple.

First impressions. Not my specialty if left to my own devices.

Never Trust a Computer

2011-01-24T12:57:00.001-05:00

... that you can't lift.

27 years ago this date a milestone was reached in the Personal Computing world: the Macintosh was introduced to the market. Many industry pundits couldn't see beyond their IBM 5150 PC and dissed the new system as slow and all eye-candy. Slow? I'd say it was the Microsoft and Intel world that were the ones being slow, it only took them roughly a decade to catch up to the Macintosh.

These days we take for granted the stuff we have in our Macs and PCs. Lets not forget where it all was brought from - yes, many will point out that Jobs got the Mac (formerly Lisa) idea from Xerox... true, but Xerox did nothing to bring their stuff to commercial success as Apple did.

Lets watch & listen:

Best line in there from Steve Jobs, when talking about the Motorola microprocessor in the Mac: it uses a 68000 and eats 8088s for breakfast. Priceless!.

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A Woman's Brain

2011-01-16T19:01:00.009-05:00

DISCLAIMER: This is intended with all due respect to the women out there that keep a good sense of humor. And also to my fellow men, so they know for sure they are NOT alone in this trying to understand the members of the fairer sex.

Having taken care of the legal terms above, let's delve a bit underneath the surface into a Woman's Brain. Every little blue dot you see in there is a thought about something that needs to be done and/or a decision or a problem that needs to be solved (click on the image to get a better up close and personal look):

A man's brain has only to deal with two balls and they take up all his thoughts.

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Drunkard Research

2011-01-11T23:16:00.000-05:00

The results are in. No I did not conduct the research nor was a test subject for it, but it sparked my interest, so without further ado let me present you with the Three Levels of Difficulty When Trying to Say Things When Drunk:

THINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:

1. Innovative
2. Preliminary
3. Proliferation
4. Cinnamon

THINGS THAT ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:

1. Specificity
2. Anti-constitutionalistically
3. Passive-aggressive disorder
4. Transubstantiate

THINGS THAT ARE DOWNRIGHT IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:

1. No thanks, I'm married.
2. Nope, no more booze for me!
3. Sorry, but you're not really my type.
4. No thanks, I'm not hungry.
5. I'm not interested in fighting you.
6. Thank you, but I won't make any attempt to dance. I have no coordination and I'd hate to look like a fool!
7. Oh no, I couldn't, I can't sing...
8. I must be going home now as I have to work in the morning.

- - - - -

Cheers! :-)

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Ok, now open wide...

2011-01-05T23:24:00.009-05:00

Dentist trip. And so I start off 2011 with a lengthy session at the dreaded (for most people) horizontal chair with that tray attached full of medieval torture instruments.

The way my body has reacted to the second root canal in my life is a clear sign that time doesn't go by without tolling for the right of passage... swollen gums, can't chew anything hard, mild fever early morning had to ask for half a day off as the uncomfort started to become a distraction; got home and crashed for about 5 hours.

Thing is that I am no stranger to dentist visits, they dominated my childhood into my late teens - awkward period from 8 to 14 years old without my two front teeth, then a major operation, braces and what I consider the crown jewel of my dental treatment achievements: all four wisdom teeth pulled in the same session; by then I had become used (read: numb) to the trips to the dentist's office and the days when I kicked and screamed to avoid them were a thing of the past: the doctor was so impressed to the calm approach to it from a 14 years old kid - took care to mention it to my mum. Resignation: why make a fuss about it if it HAS to be done?. All the promises and forecasts of searing pain and harsh aftermath that were delivered to me by friends back then didn't happen, I remember one aspirin was all it took later on that long gone evening... I felt like a freakin' hero the next day I returned to school.

Moving forward thirty years after, I got commended again for keeping the cool while the whole drilling and scraping and x-raying was going on... motto still stands: why make a fuss if it has to be done?.

So I joked with the doctor yesterday as he handed me a prescription for some run-of-the-mill painkillers and something else to deal with the swelling. I came straight home to get on with my life... oh gosh: the mind is willing but everything else attached to it is starting to throw but-I-don't-wanna tantrums of their own. Bummer!

Now, all this would not be happening if only I had taken care of it when it was the time to do so. Lesson learned, is it too late? ;-)

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Re: Solutions for 2011

2011-01-02T18:37:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year!

Interesting to realize we're into the second decade of the 21st century already. I'll celebrate by taking a stab at the Top 10 New Year's Resolutions, according to what was posted at 2011resolutions.org - what will yours truly do?

1. Lose weight

Maybe - not in a rush to get anywhere on this regard, and I am sure that as the gig season opens up for my band I will get into a better place, them drums demand something in return.

2. Getting Organized

Done, been like so for the most part of my life so this one is in the pocket.

3. Spend Less, Save More

No can do. As much as I try as time goes by I am spending more and having less to save. Last year's fourth quarter was a grind: on what were supposed to be the bright days of the season I had - for the most part - the worst of times ever.

4. Enjoy The Life At The Fullest

Always good to keep a daily reminder to do like so.

5. Staying Fit And Healthy

Healthy? last check up had all the dials on the green zones so that's in the pocket too. The fit part? my 43 soon to be 44 shell fits the purpose of keeping me out of shallow waters trouble, I'd like to keep it that way ;-)

6. Learn Something Exciting

Every day is a learning experience, only a numb brain would allow its host to call things boring.

7. Quit Smoking

Riiiight. I don't smoke because of lack of opportunities - it was after all one of my grandpas that gave me my one and only try: When at 8 years of age I asked him what it tasted like - a man of short words he only said "bitter" as he handed it to me. Shortly after that he was taken away by Pulmonary Emphysema.

8. Help Others In Their Dreams

If them others allow it. Some people take a good spirited helping hand as an act of stupidity or even worse: intrusion. So sad.

9. Fall In Love

Every day... every day :-)

10. Spend More Time With Family

And contrary to the popular ads on TV and Radio, it doesn't take a certain cell phone in order to do be there for them, just be there!

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Same ones as last year I guess!. Good luck to all.

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So this is Christmas

2010-12-25T06:29:00.014-05:00

Christmas morning 2010 and I am awake at 5am as when I was a young brat racing my brothers to the tree down from the second floor, only 35+ years ago.

So what have you done?

As I was standing by my tree this morning, hot cup of cocoa on hand and staring through the plastic branches over the window, the following thought popped in: "So Jesus Christ was born today two thousand years ago give or take a decade or two; what would happen if he showed up face again this day and age?". Sip the hot cocoa... sip again and for good measure a plentiful third sip - "he would be sent to Guantanamo Bay at the very least" I resolved.

And that would be if he was very VERY lucky. Half the world would be on his case and if not careful the cross therapy would be replaced by any of today's means and methods of dealing with activists like him. Or her, lets not forget that a prophet can also be a woman, a common sense realization that only ads fuel to the fire of the different faiths and their hands-on-the-throat approach to respecting each others lines of thought and beliefs.

If Jesus comes back - as promised by the Bible and the weekly mass reminders to those who attend - he'd have to convince people of his ID by performing some really amazing stunts. Humanity today is so jaded that turning water to wine, walking on water, curing the blind or making a quadriplegic walk would fly by unnoticed and may be even called 'gay'. I bet some believers would ask for Osama Bin Laden to be miraculously captured, have their mortgages dismissed and reset to zero-owed, a perfect tan and body to showcase it and impervious exoskeletons with friggin' lasers on their heads for their armies.

I Jesus comes back the other religions would cry foul and would be the among the first ones to wield pitch forks and their trusty sawed off guns.

If Jesus comes back - sad thought but true - the followers of the religion he started would be also among the first to be skeptical, maybe they wouldn't act right away but trouble would start to brew right from the get go. The power struggles happened before and will happen again.

Ricardo Arjona - a Guatemalan singer/composer - has an interesting song called Jesús Verbo No Sustantivo (Jesus Verb Not Substantive) in which one verse goes:

Jesus no bajes a la tierra quedate ahi arriba
Todos lo que han pensado como tu hoy estan boca arriba
Olvidados en algun cementerio, de equipaje sus ideales
Murieron con la sonrisa en los labios
Porque fueron verbo y no sustantivo

"Jesus don't come down to Earth stay up there
All who have shared your thoughts now lay down face to heavens
Forgotten in some cemetery, their ideals as baggage
They died with a smile on their lips
Because they were verb and not substantive"

I think that says a lot. This has been one of my major beefs with religion regardless of the colors its flag flies; I follow none but I recognize Jesus as a prophet, someone who had good intentions and a generally civilized idea on how to get along; same goes for that other one who is not allowed be drawn (Mohamed) and countless other prophets.

I'll take the Christmas season for the opportunity it brings to reunite with loved ones, to reflect, to think about the past understand the present and try to lay down a plan for the future. Anything else beyond that is an open invitation at conflict with no happy outcomes no matter the angle it is approached at.

So this is Christmas, what have you done?. You can press play on the box below if you have nothing better to do right now:

This has to be one of the BEST songs ever written. Thanks John Lennon. And thanks Tommy Shaw and Co for an awesome cover of it!

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Cenk interviews Assange

2010-12-22T23:35:00.001-05:00

Two of my favorite people hold a not long enough conversation as Cenk Uygur interviews Julian Assange. Highlight of the interview: Assange notes that former presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin, were emblematic of an "idiot trying to make a name" with calls for the execution of whoever leaked secret U.S. documents to his organization.

All the furor and passionate calls for execution that the establishment has poured on this is nothing more than a spoiled child tantrum to me. Political figures across the partisan boards have expressed outrage at the exposure of their sensitive internal communications, citing damages to fragile international relations, treaties and day to day political dealings - damages that have been far from being proven real. Beyond the tomato in the faces of the involved that is.

Word to the stupidicus politicus: Perhaps you all should just grow up and deal in the carrying of your internal communiques with the stature they deserve, don't call a peer on the other side of the fence any names - even in the jest of humor. Treat them with the same respect you want to be treated. You call a Russian politician a moron, a weakling or an unstable character on a piece of paper or electronic mail? you actually deserve what you get once the lid is lifted and your lack of restraint exposed to the rest of the world.

These are the best times to live in, these are the worst times to live in. How have things degraded to such low levels in this country?

Huckabee or Palin or another equally deluded personality makes a bid for the presidency and wins? I move to another country, and that's a promise: I am having a hard time trying to rationalize I'm paying taxes to bail out companies too big to fail, fund never ending interventionist wars, seeing firehouses close left and right due to lack of money, schools getting a raw deal because of the same, people -down -out and foreclosed, welfare benefits sliding into rampancy, luke warm liberals bending over and rabid right wingers lust & grasp of power.

We need more Wikileaks. Perhaps the shame and/or fear of exposure will force those federal budget public office ticks sweat it out and do honest work at what they were elected for.

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The Meningitis Trust

2010-12-19T17:01:00.005-05:00

The UK Meningitis Trust wants to help raise awareness about the disease it's dedicated to battling and for such a task it makes use of the 30-strong Drybrook & District Male Voice Choir.

Remember Engelbert Humperdinck's Release Me hit of so many years ago?

This is The UK Meningitis Trust awareness campaign rewrite:

This is an awesome effort and its working. Spread the word, raise the awareness into this disease.

To close the post, take a behind the scenes look at the making of the above campaign video:

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Retro-XMas Tree

2010-12-14T23:10:00.003-05:00

You know some people put trains under the Christmas tree. Some have complete villas with dancing figurines and others will build elaborate Nativity scenes. Me? I setup one of my CoCos there; it had been a long time coming.

First order of this post is perhaps level the playing field by defining the term CoCo: Color Computer. The Radio Shack / Tandy Color Computer. The one marvel of technology that saw first light in NYC when Radio Shack unveiled it back in 1980.

The CoCo was - along the Commodore VIC 20 and the Texas Instruments TI/994A and the Colecos and the Sinclairs, part of the early 80s computer revolution; now largely forgotten except by a very few enthusiasts like me. I recently finished restoring a CoCo 1 that was rescued from going to the recycler a couple of months ago, ready to press it on active duty.

There were more computers available in my office/attic than space under my tree so it was a tough call to decide which ones would do. In the center of all this the CoCo's spot was secured as I needed it to play the part of a music box, a part that it takes with the help from one of the early music creation software/hardware offerings of a bygone era. Granted the music might sound cheesy by today's PC soundcard standards, but the Orchestra 90CC carries on a charm seldom granted to modern systems. Remember, these things are at least 30 years old. Three decades. And the years haven't passed without consequence.

Perhaps a video will help to put things in the proper light:

I doubt there will be any niftier Christmas Tree music boxes anywhere :-)

Next year this is coming back, but I hope to spruce it up with some Season's themed graphics. Retro-graphics no less!

Have a Merry Christmas!

¡Feliz Navidad!

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Dateable me

2010-12-12T09:42:00.003-05:00

Woke up today happy to see myself out of the once a year mother of all cold attacks. After the priority morning duties I head to the kitchen and served orange juice (lots of pulp no-less!) into a tall glass and grabbing a couple of Raisins Oatmeal cookies I was on the living room checking my Sunday morning e-mails.

Got quite a chuckle while reviewing the stats report on another blog I keep, within the pages of numbers and graphics and what-have-you there came the visiting domains list - usually the names in there are pretty run of the mill (Goole, Telmex, Yahoo, Univision, MSN, etc), but today one popped up that almost made me shoot orange juice out of my nose.

That other blog is heavy into the politics and religion shenanigans of my home country folk (Mexico), there will be other things discussed but the noted subjects are the prevalent ones. Needless to say my thoughts & ideas there have not gained me many new friendships, has stressed out existing ones and embarrassed a family member or two throughout my history of posting. And yet it remains popular among peers, particularly in the manufacturing industry in Nogales.

So I was amusingly surprised to see that visits from a Christian Dating group had taken place last week. And not one hit or two, a good deal many of them.

Why? Is it the lure that follows the character of the rebellious troublemaker bad boy? or maybe I am being showcased as an example of the evil type to avoid? at any rate, it is funny considering my circumstances and the ages long bout I have with the traditional forms of dating (not mentioning the religious parts of it), so I am inclined to blame the INfartO blog popularity on the Kavorka:

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Odd Cold

2010-12-09T14:30:00.002-05:00

Lil'ol me has been taken out of action by somewhat nasty cold episode; it seems that the two I usually get every year (following cold/hot and hot/cold season changes) are getting nastier everytime, I blame it on the years of accumulated experience that just keep on piling on (some unscrupulous people refer to that as age).

Amidst the delirious night of "sleep" I got from Tuesday to Wednesday, and the extremely achy body day it was since I got off from bed that morning, there was little comfort to be found in trying to watch TV, browsing the web, playing a game or listening to music. What to do to pass the hours?

Got up from the couch and slowly walked to my roll bookcase, and I reached of it: my old... really old Calculus book from junior college, grabbing a notepad I started to refresh my skills and pencil out solutions to the smorgasbord of problems Louis Leithold's "The Calculus with Analytic Geometry" provides, a hardcover book well worth the $300.00 price tag it commands nowadays.

Back then in the mid 80s I had the luck of signing on to the class of one of the best teachers at school, an Electrical Engineer with a passion for the numbers. He had a reputation of being a tough cookie but the quality of students he would forge was on par with his reputation - his class was filled at most by 20 or so students, in contrast other teachers hosting the same course at the same semester had 40+ students each... the scaredy cats as we knew them. It was such a rush that I did not only had one semester of Math IV with César, I signed up without second thoughts the next semester to Math V with him; I think we were about 14 students at most during that course.

Quick flash forward 30 or so years into NOW:

The whole thing did work like a charm, after two hours of reading and reviving dormant math skills I was ready to hit my bed and sleep off the cold like a baby. I'm ready for kiddo when the time comes for him to face the differentials and the integrals... oh joy!

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In Gold We Trust

2010-12-02T13:22:00.001-05:00

A mildly cynical update of Handel's "Messiah".

Part of "Scary Christmas", an Edward Current & Steven Clark collaboration. Composer/Producer Steven did the arrangement, both wrote the words and Eddie did the sing along.

This brings memories of my middle school participation in a Messiah production for a school choruses competition (circa 1980). I don't remember us winning not even a third place - despite the religious appeal of the work our school decided to go with; it sounded decent by my recollection despite some technical difficulties.

I blame our school's ousting on the soprano voices section: two of those brats turned out to be church-less red hot rock drummers later on in their lives, back then they had a knack at changing the words to sing right on the spot, much to the delight of those close by who became distracted enough with the giggles.

First hand knowledge of the incident: one of those brats was me :-)

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DWTS Finest Moment

2010-12-01T03:28:00.002-05:00

Upfront: I am NOT a fan of talent shows, much less if they're about dancing. Stands to reason that I am not a fan of dancing movies neither... eeek!.

It was hard to hide away from the hype the Palin daughter brought into Dancing With The Stars, and first time I learned about her participation I knew the whole ordeal would be politicized no thanks to her mother... oh the Humanity.

On that note, the following interview of Jennifer Grey by Lawrence O'Donnell is simply an enjoy from start to finish:

Not only does Jennifer Grey look awesome at 50 (better than many younger starletts nowadays), here goes a double kudos to her triumph on DWTS: true talent makes it through whatever shaky competitors can resort to dish out.

Better said: Dirty Politics zero - Dirty Dancing p0wns!
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April 11th 1954

2010-11-29T06:23:00.004-05:00

The Official Most Boring Day in Earth's recorded history.

Don't believe me? go to Trueknowledge and type up the question yourself: What is the most boring day in history?

Trueknowledge - brainchild of William Tunstall-Pedoe - is more than a search engine. Its semantic technology has been many years in development; it understands user questions, represents knowledge in a way that the system can understand and process and can combine existing knowledge to infer new facts and answer questions it has never seen before.

Where was this thing when I was in school? Just kidding!

So for the unlucky ones born on that day, the revelation as the most boring day must pinch a little.

As the Trueknowledge blog reports: Nobody significant died that day, no major events apparently occurred and although a typical day in the 20th century has many notable people being born, for some reason that day had only one person that might make that claim: Abdullah Atalar - a Turkish academic.

The ironic twist is that with all the publicity, April 11th 1954 is on its way to become an interesting day.
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Thankful 4

2010-11-27T21:34:00.005-05:00

A little "late" to be writing about stuff I am thankful for, the Thanksgiving weekend is fact on its close to the finish line last turn. Many who celebrate in the classic sense of the date are still going over ingenious ways to work out the leftovers from the dinner.

As with all holidays, I don't believe on observance for just the marked day on the calendar: everyday is a birthday, Mother's day, Fathers's day, Christmas, Halloween and what have you, yes... even Thanksgiving.

So, without further ado, hereby the things I think deserve hearty gratitude:

* Opening the kitchen faucet and get clean running water that is safe enough to drink

* Flick a switch and zap there is light!

* Turn a knob on the stove and get immediate & plentiful heat to cook stuff

* Open the fridge or pantry and find always something to eat

* Find out the next day I slept with the front door open with no consequence to me nor my property

* Mass transit. Why, the bus stop is right in front of my house!

* Cenk Uygur

* Engine Co 165's Firehouse a couple blocks away

To the untrained eye the items on my list may appear mundane and simplistic, but all are only possible because of conditions I enjoy where I live, social and economic conditions that are not prevalent all over the world (some sadly not prevalent even within our country), and that is something I see a lot of people taking for granted and overlooking in favor of not really essential things.

When was the last time you took care to think what is involved on getting tap water in your home? electrical power on demand? a choice of food within arm's reach? the joy of having a warm meal? freedom to ponder on politics? freedom to travel? (except for air travel which sucks, thanks for nothing TSA), or on the privilege it is to spend your days at work or leisure without worries on social unrest?.
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Opt Out Day

2010-11-23T06:46:00.001-05:00

Wednesday November 24th 2010 is National Opt Out Day

It's the day ordinary citizens stand up for their rights, liberty and protest the federal government's desire to virtually strip us naked or submit to an "enhanced pat down" that touches people's breasts and genitals in an aggressive manner. As a parent I should never have to explain to my child: "Remember that no stranger can touch or see your private area, unless it's a government employee, then it's OK."

The goal of National Opt Out Day is to send a message to our lawmakers that we demand change. We have a right to privacy and buying a plane ticket should not mean that we're guilty until proven innocent. This day is needed because many people do not understand what they consent to when choosing to fly.

Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., former Chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee and the current top Republican on the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, blasts TSA's invasive "pat downs" during a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives on November 17, 2010. Duncan also questions the role of lucrative government contracts in TSA's new naked body scanning machines

Congressman Ron Paul decries TSA abuses on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives 11-17-2010.

And... is this where we are heading into?

All sold to the public under the false veil of security.
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WWJD?

2010-11-18T21:46:00.002-05:00

I mean, if he as a referee had to make a call on this play:

A red card for Carlos Tévez (standing) and a yellow one for Rio Ferdinand (huh)?

I am not a follower of Soccer, I actually shun the sport today despite being an rabid avid fan in my pre-teen years - how I made captain of the elementary school team I have no-freaking-idea. My current hate-hate take probably has to do with early-on overexposure; it certainly doesn't help that in my home country the sport is revered at such fervor to grant it religion status... south of the 30th parallel people are just plain f'in nuts about Soccer. Eeek!

With all that I just couldn't pass on furthering the cause for both Manchester City and Manchester United while at a recent derby match.

It had been a while since I had a laugh on Soccer's shenanigans :-)

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Geek Evolved

2010-11-16T03:15:00.002-05:00

Can't stress enough how much I loved the Revenge of The Nerds movies (ok then: the first two in the series). While I was not much a nerd looking fellow back in my pimple days, I still mingled and made best of friends within that crowd.

A picture sums it all far better than a thousand words, so without further ado:

Click image for a larger version

Once a nerd, always a nerd... you know what they say: The meek shall inherit the earth!
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War never changes

2010-11-11T12:00:00.002-05:00

Who is wrong, who is right... it doesn't matter in the thick of the fight.

How many more Vietnam's, Iraq's and Afghanistan's is it going to take?

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PSA

2010-11-10T03:29:00.004-05:00

The following is a Public Service Announcement. Provided in the best interest of keeping social networking folks from the embarrassing post-hangover realization on the awkward status update or comment left after a fit of free-for-all alcohol ingestion session:

This fulfills Musical Wind's Public Service Announcement bandwidth allotment for the month.

Go now -> socialmediasobrietytest.com

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Tear it off chéri!

2010-11-08T19:16:00.009-05:00

I am not in the custom to endorse products, but being a guy that appreciates the finer things of life in such matters, I fully throw my unabashed support to Lingerie Dement.

Ripping off clothes in a fit of passion always sounds hot—until you find expensive, "somebody's-going-to-see-these" underwear torn to unsalvageable shreds. To keep the heat up without sacrificing silk and lace, former costume designer and the Parisian mastermind behind Lingerie Dement - Laetitia Schlumberger - has created rip-off bras, panties, bustiers and ensembles perfect for getting busy in a hurry.

Tiny, almost invisible magnets hold the pieces in place, holding tight enough to ensure that there won't be any accidental panty-dropping in the office. But when the moment arrives, the well-placed connectors snap apart in one swift tear.

Made of seductive fabrics in delicate, feminine designs, the pieces have all the allure of French lingerie (oh la la!). Bras run between €70 and 90 (that's Euros people!), panties between €50 and 60, and the garments are available online at Jollia, as well as at a handful of stores in the U.S. and France.

The collection can be seen at Lingerie Dement's website.

Now, I have to do something about my Don Juan life if I expect ever to try undoing such woven decorations from the partner in crime. Mmmmmm...
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Science Saved my Soul

2010-11-03T23:14:00.004-04:00

Yes, many of those thinkers to whom I owe my mental freedom were religious, like Newton - a Christian, who believed God made the Earth but who then showed me why the Earth would have formed without a god's help. Or Plank and Schrodinger, two more Christians - who believed God ruled the Universe but showed me how God could not control a single electron.

The discoveries these and many other people made, the laws they are famous for, are the very things that make gods getting humans pregnant, or angels whispering to prophets in caves look infantile. I could never and would never question their intelligence. Their honesty and intellectual consistency are a different matter.

Weird...

I can stand on the shoulders of giants and see what even they seemingly could not.

I'm not against the Creator(s), if they exist, if they ever existed. I'm not against the search for the Creator(s). What blows MY mind is that people think religion has anything to do with it at all.
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The Vote is in

2010-11-02T17:48:00.009-04:00

A momentous occasion. Shortly after acquiring US Citizenship I cast my vote for the first time in this country; it was a warm feeling all over to see my name displayed in the voters list at the desk in my polling station. I was actually pleased at the swiftness of the whole process - it only took me about 10 minutes from receiving the empty ballot and sliding it into the scanner once filled... I have to say I kind of miss the purple thumb from my voting days in Mexico back in the day.

For the uninitiated: the purple thumb refers to the inkout the voter's thumb receives after submitting the ballots in México, I am sure other countries also resort to that tag method... the rite of passage. While on this subject, I must proudly note that due to my dual Citizenship I can vote for the President on two countries :-)

While driven to work this morning I was thinking about the similarities and the contrasts between México and the USA when the political campaigns run. They're similar on the amount of dirt thrown every which way and on the insane radio and TV ads, one major difference is that the propaganda is so far easier to dispose off here in the US than in México, in the later the amounts of posters, flags and wall paintings is nothing short of impressive and sad at the same time: lots of money that probably could be spent better on other needy areas in the country is otherwise thrown to the garbage piles.

All in all, politicians remain the same here and there and everywhere. That's where we the voters come in. One of the best lines in the movie I Am Legend is when Robert Neville (Will Smith's character) quotes Bob Marley:

When he was scheduled to perform at a peace rally, a gunman came to his house and shot him down. Two days later he walked out on that stage and sang. When they asked him why – He said: "The people, who were trying to make this world worse... are not taking a day off. How can I? Light up the darkness."

That's why I vote, there are self serving special interest people that do not deserve the privilege of public service, so whatever I can do, however small it may seem in the big take of things, I will do.

Some people don't vote by cause of many arguments: rigged elections, why the bother, etc. Less voters at the polls allows more shady politicians to slip through the system, once in office it is like trying to remove dried up spaghetti sauce from a teflon-less cooking pan.

To close, ever since I started to gain an understanding of the political process in the USA I learned about the Republicans and the Democrats. To this day (and it has been years gone by), I have yet to receive a satisfying response to the question "what is it about being a Republican/Democrat?". Text book definitions are abundant, but I want to hear it from the people I know, friends and family, specially the most vociferous ones on both sides of the spectrum. My take: there are good and bad people on both parties; and in politics I follow the people, NOT the parties.

About the only ones I am sure of are from the so called Tea Party members... they're just plain friggin' nut cases, the kind of people that need something to complain about and blame on for their woes. Those we should send to the fruit & veggies pick up fields, a week in that job should be enough to drive some sanity and wisdom on their ways.
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Drill baby drill

2010-10-26T19:25:00.005-04:00

That's what is about to happen starting next week... at the dentist's office.

Finally surrendered to getting my munchers checked after a hiatus of six years on any dental follow ups. Had been putting off a much needed visit to a slew of excuses, until a half done root canal prompted me to take care of things while time is still proper to do so.

Truth is that life changes had me focus on other priorities and I made the mistake of letting the ones impacting my health to the last batch of things to do. That and a 10 year long tenure visiting dentists every other week or so since I was 8 years old made it difficult returning to the room with the recliner seat and an entourage of dental torture tools, not the first thing on my to-do list.

Today was my second visit. I did my homework before selecting a doctor and it seems that the efforts have paid off as the doctor is indeed quite good - and only 15 minutes away on a relaxed walk from home.

While the doctor was doing his thing he prodded a little bit far into a tender zone and I twitched a bit; he asked "are you alright?" and I replied in a rather slushed manner "yes, I need to relax though". After the procedure was done he was joking with me to the tone of 'a lesser man would have not survived that'. I told him in closing "look Doctor, it is not that I can't take it... after all I did run into my share of burning buildings and other assorted goodies of a firefighter's life without much second guessing or slow thinking things twice, but walking into a dentist office... I'd rather do the fire gig again any day over these visits".

Joking aside, I am just glad to take care of this. Soon to come are my reading glasses... oh yes, the intellectual look is just over the corner :-)
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On the brink of extinction

2010-10-24T10:49:00.017-04:00

Princesses seem to be. Let me elaborate:

I love women that this day and age still want to become a princess instead of turning into a toad, because as long as there are women that keep lady like manners and ways, there will be men that still see the importance of behaving like gentleman.

I love a woman that does not compete with men, because they know that a man will never be her rival but a complement of herself.

I respect women that fight each day to become more woman and in no regard seek to come about like men; in the search of the so called Woman's Liberation movement, many have mistakenly become cheap send-offs of men, merely imitating them in the depressing worst aspects and traits of the later.

It is maybe because that mistaken conquest that they slipped into trousers (not in the fashion sense which is ok by all means), surrendered to living one night stand adventures, started to put a cigarette on their lips and made it usual to curse out left and right in day to day conversation.

They've become inhibited in bars and now we see them in the middle of shameful spectacles, throwing up in bathrooms and sidewalks or passed out drunk half naked over bar tables and stools.

Generations of abused and repressed mothers taught their daughters that the best way to break free from male domination was to become the enemy, thus grew up confused about their identity as women as they followed in men footsteps, becoming twisted individuals that along men of dubious character contribute to the relationship problems we face today.

The girls of the new generations decided that the dream of becoming a princess is boring and slavery friendly, so they flipped the crown for ski masks and now they're criminals of high impact, rotten public servants, irresponsible drivers, beauty queens involved with illegal trafficking and even union leaders sold to the highest bidding political party.

I am in awe of women that don't want to be like men and arrive to College with the firm intent of finishing their careers with honors.

Also of particular liking are the women that instead of showing us they're capable of drinking half a bottle of Tequila, show us that they have what it takes to direct and manage a productive & environmentally conscious company or a professional research center.

And I also like women that are not just in the search of a good man to marry, but look forward at being a good woman so a good man may deserve them... and lets not overlook the women that know when to say NO, when NO is the only dignified answer from a lady, even if the whole world may refer to them as antiquated or passé.

Princesses on the brink of extinction?

Maybe not just yet, but the numbers sure are dwindling.

--

Long distance kudos to my friend Aurora for sending me the slideshow from which I took the basis for this blog post :-)
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Ring ring

2010-10-20T22:05:00.002-04:00

How many rings typically go by before you answer your phone? one? two?.

Last week a friend of mine called me on my cell and as luck would have it, my hands where full and was in no position to go for a quick grab of the phone and answer, it was only until I unloaded some of the stuff I was carrying that I was able to answer, but by the time I did the caller had decided to hang up; I was still looking at the screen to find out who could have called me when the phone rang again, I answer and the first thing I get is:

"Hey man, is this the correct number for you? because it is what I had on my address book"

After the explanation and a quick message exchange I was left pondering on the event, its recurrence with several people that call me left me thinking that maybe, just maybe these people believe I am on a 24 x 7 x 365 availability on the phone. Intriguing.

The only place I see that kind of mentality is at 911, where the phone line must be answered even before the first ring dies out. But, this is an emergency attention service location, and I am not 911 last time I checked.

Has the world become so impatient to hold expectations of immediate results even on having someone answer the phone on the double? I found interesting that my friend decided to resolve first the phone issue than the very thing that prompted him to call me, a glimpse at his priorities.

My home phone being wireless I could carry it from its base in the dinning room to every other at home so I could easily dash to the TALK button as soon as it rings; then there is my cell phone, usually sitting on the nightstand by my bed attached to its charger - sometimes I even forget to put it back into the holster on my belt when I go out... it is funny as I programmed the cell phone to only vibrate whenever in the holster, and the indicator I set for when receiving a phone call is three vibes: by the time I pick it up at least four rings have gone by.

All in all, I still strive to answer as soon as possible, most of the time I will miss it because I don't live for the phone nor near the phone; no ill will intended: Just one more of those things where we need to slow down a bit, be patient and let the phone ring a couple more times.

Zap goes Facebook

2010-10-09T00:43:00.008-04:00

Just like that with the click of the mouse my Facebook account is gone. It was something I had considered for a while, always stepping back from that step to give this a second chance... until the balance to keep the account active tipped to the negative side of things.

So I am done for all practical purposes with Social Networking, a tenure that started with MySpace a few years back until today. The reasons for closing it are many - same as why I got out of MySpace not too long ago as well, lets say that a bad apple spoiled the whole apple cart, the kind of bad apple that sticks, I'd have to restart my project of life to do away with it... ahhh wishful thinking.

It was interesting to see how the network works up a last ditch effort to keep a user from canceling an account: it will show some pictures of the friends list and go through two extra security prompts before actually allowing the user to hit the go button. Then there is still a 14 day grace period during which the user can repent and go back with nothing change, no harm done. Oh well.

Had quite a list of contacts, about 160 something. It is sad though that I probably had actual interaction with maybe 20 or so of those while most of them (family members and friends) just sat there, something that I think contradicts the whole purpose of social networking.

It was an interesting experience to live the phenomenon that social networking is but it had its run. The people in my friend's list know where to find me. They should know... I hope.

Why the feeling that I have been liberated? ;-)

You Are Not Alone

2010-08-29T21:27:00.001-04:00

From one of the true artists I have come across in YouTube: MadV.

I subscribe to the idea that it's in the nature of an artist that through his work with commonly available things, he or she can transform them into something that affects you deeply once you get your chance to savor it with your senses, as it touches parts of your soul that maybe you were not aware of. The reaction will be different for each and one of us:

... thanks for the nod to think MadV.

When Choosing a Mate...

2010-08-02T23:42:00.003-04:00

No need to beat around the bush for this one: Engineers are the BEST choice on mates ever. What's that? don't believe me?. Ok, let's roll out some facts comparing other professionals to Engineers:

Doctors

Supposedly, all women are after a Doctor, so don't expect your relationship to last more than 5 years. Eventually he'll run off with some nurse from his office, or one of his young women patients that is pretending to be sick; he'll wait until you are stuck with a few kids to do this. This is not a problem with your Engineer husband: He had a hard enough time meeting you. It is unlikely he'll ever meet another woman in his profession.

Lawyers

Do you seriously expect an honest & trusting relationship with someone who gets paid for lying?. Once again, this is not a problem with you Engineer spouse: He doesn't have enough social skills to lie convincingly. An additional drawback to marrying a lawyer is when the divorce happens, you will get nothing.

Salesmen

See honesty segment under "LAWYERS" up there. Plus, he will be traveling to trade shows, etc. where he will be in the company of other equally trustworthy individuals pulling stunts the likes that would have gotten you an invitation to show up on the Ricki Lake show. The company that your Engineer husband works at will keep him in a cage, often called a cubicle, until he is ready to go home to you.

Hazardous Professions: Police Office, Fireman, Construction Worker...

Your husband - if not dead by some accident, will face daily severe injury. The worst thing your Engineer will face is losing his eyesight by staring at a computer or equipment terminal for far too long. This hazard actually has some benefits; for one he will not notice that you are getting older, since you will be a blur. He will remember you as when he first met you, because the memory will still be sharp, and when you ask, "Honey, were you looking at her?" he'll honestly be able to say that he didn't even see her.

Teacher

The only reason he entered this profession is so that he could be surrounded by newly post-pubescent girls who idolize him. He'll be in jail soon, and then you'll have to look for another man.

--

Thread safely the muddy waters of choosing a mate my friends :-)
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Horror Feminae

2010-07-25T16:39:00.005-04:00

Have a confession to make: I'm Gynophobic. There.

But only from a very small group of women, all three of them in positions of power. I am not pushing a machismo or feminism obtuse view here, I am just aiming my guns at these few because of all politicians, I believe women are better set to stretch beyond the traditional politics (as played by most men in those circles) and bring a fresh point of view into the game. Let's begin:

Condoleezza Rice. Whatever she did right before her tenure at the White House under Dubya's administration, it all got discredited by the way she outright lied about the issues that got the US into one of its most straining conflicts abroad. As an aside note - and because it ties with the third person in this list - Rice was a board member of Hewlett Packard back in the early 90s.

Sarah Palin. I don't need to say too much about this woman because there is so little to say. Unprepared is the word. And there are no signs of any improvement despite the political beatings she has waddled through. Oh surprise! Palin is also tied to the next in the list:

Carly Fiorina. Short lived are the memories of those Americans who support her. Five+ years short. Fiorina was CEO of Hewlett Packard from 1999 to 2005 and as a technology follower I saw with great dismay the downfall of a once great company under her reign; HP went from being a first rate electronics firm to the people that make cheap printers and throw away computers - I am but merely mentioning what happened to their high end certification instruments sector... appalling. Nowadays HP has more or less raised itself above the muddy waters Fiorina and Co (among there Rice) sunk it into; the woman now is making her political rounds in California.

Pity the troubled state of the west coast, with Fiorina anywhere on the public servant circles, the possible outcomes are not of positive nature. For the people at least.

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Score

2010-07-07T17:45:00.004-04:00

Do you know what your credit score is? I don't and I'm not interested in knowing. At least not in the paranoid way the TV and Web ads attempt to make it sound; this didn't happen overnight as I used to be quite more concerned about that 'magic' number a few years back.

Recently I had to move forward the plans to change my set of wheels and with it came the boring task of going through the paperwork in order to get the financing done; last time I did this was 5 years ago or so and it certainly was a bit easier, today with all the shenanigans some high profile bankers have pulled, everyone's walking on eggshells and the money process has become a bit more convoluted.

Why the disdain for the score?. First off, I started late in the game - in this country at least - so my credit history does not go beyond the decade past, that alone will put a dent in how the three bureaus tally their numbers. Second, a mere month after I got my SSN assigned when I moved to the US, some crafty soul decided to pin me with a couple of collection notices on stuff I had never even heard of, that took a while to clear out of my personal files.

Welcome to the US of A Rogelio.

After solving those uncalled for hits (damage already inflicted to my vestigial US credit life), a couple of years later I got into the next big thing in the American Way of Life as my marriage went downhill, bringing with it all the usual upsets in both the personal and financial aspects of life.

Came, saw and conquered as even that was dealt with and resolved for the better.

But the credit bureaus think otherwise, or better put: they don't think things thoroughly.

If they had, then maybe they would have considered a positive trait that all the while enduring the trials of separation and divorce and a change of jobs and location, not a single obligation I had on myself went unattended, not a single missed payment on anything... not even a thought of declaring bankruptcy to take the easy way out (which ain't easy at all, I'm just saying). It really angers me to know of deadbeats out there that seemingly have found the secret formula to go on and about their merry ways leaving a trail that reads irresponsibility all over... and the ones who try to honestly earn their keep get the short end of the stick.

Deadbeats and the credit bureaus, my praise goes the same for both.

If all things affecting the credit score would be properly considered, I probably could walk way with those amazing (right) zero percent financing deals and preferential rates and the like, but... no.

I am and most likely will always be looked upon as a moderate to high risk to the money people; just one more thing on how I keep my reputation of a troublemaker on constant renovation.

So by all means Equifax, TransUnion and Experian, you can take my credit score and...
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Opentag Collection Discussion

2010-06-07T21:44:00.001-04:00

The following was posted on YouTube by AtariLeaf:

It is a bit lengthy so cutting down to the nitty gritty here are the questions posed and my answers to them:

(1) Have you ever had a retro gaming collection in the past, sold it all, only to start up collecting again? If so why? Financial? Family Situation? Lifestyle change? Other?

No. If anything I have disposed of duplicates and those gadgets that were beyond all sensible state of repair worthiness. My collection (Tandy Color Computer 1 2 & 3, Commodore VIC-20 and C64, Atari ST1024, Sinclair TS-1000, Apple IIc, TRS-80 Model 1 3 & 4, TI-99/4A, MC-10, TRS-80 Pocket Computers 1 2 & 4, Mattel Intellivision, Nintendo NES & Gamecube, XBox 1st gen) has slowly grown over the years, never had I had to dispose of anything on any other account than trying to keep things as lean as possible - a hard to do thing when so into this hobby :-)

(2) Do you ever see yourself getting rid of it all again? Why? Remember, the answer you give now, could very well change down the road. How likely do you see that being the case for yourself?

Again no. Unfortunately not all my systems are up and running as I have only so much room to allocate, that and I don't think the museum look would go well with my home. I do think about what is going to happen with all that stuff once I'm gone... I don't see my kid taking any interest on it today although that could change in the future; beyond him I really don't think anyone else would bother so all my things are sadly on a very possible route to have an undignified end in the trash.

(3) Which do you enjoy more - having a collection or simply "collecting"? In other words, is the "thrill of the hunt" more important than actually having the game or system you just bought?

Oh I am a USER down to the last bolt and nut. I enjoy the thrill of the hunt and will go to sporty lengths to acquire a missing link on my systems, I tend to the careful cleaning and out-of-the-box restoration on all I get my hands on (it is appalling to see how careless some people are) and will upkeep all with lots of TLC and PM. Just for show?, those words do not exist on my vocabulary; every day at some point one of my old systems is being used for something, even if it is to whip up a quick retrogame or write up a note in a journal.

(4) Have you taken out insurance on your collection? Some people have because of its value and amount of money they've put into it.

I am crazy about all but not that crazy, so no insurance... at least not specifically though, all is covered within my renter's insurance. At any rate, I would most likely start off gathering up the goods on the event of a major catastrophe - I know the software would be the most missed if lost, most of my formative school works are still on those floppies :-)

--

So there you have it folks!

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Of Mice and a Ball

2010-05-24T23:18:00.002-04:00

Eleven green mice chasing after a whimsical ball on a huge field trying to get it in at the opposite's net goal marker. The action? Soccer; the 'mice'? the Mexican team.

I don't have a dime of a care about Soccer, and less so on the Mexican team.

This is a statement that earns me no new friends and puts at risk the many ties I have with people south of the USA border. It is - as some see it - the national sport; just take a look at the no expenses held back stadiums, player's salaries, marketing campaigns, allotted prime TV time... one would expect tremendous performance from a team formed with the best of the best of all that can be found in the widespread internal teams roster. But that is not the case.

There was a time when I was a 10 year old brat that knew everything that needed to be known about soccer. I even made the school's team on the 5th grade, knew player's names from the then shinning starts (I'm talking mid 1970s here), I would play soccer at every recess in school, and that was mainly what physical ed was all about too... and then even played some more at our building complex with my friends. I was a true soccer fan.

Then I started to look at the national team's performance at the world cups.

First world cup I followed on TV was in 1978. High hopes on the Mexican team... soon shattered with the demise of the team losing against Tunisia, then bulldozed on the next game against Germany and followed by a third pounding on the hands (actually feet) of Poland; that's when Mexico's run on that cup came to a screeching halt and the dreams of an 11 year old fan dissipated in a puff of smoke, not even the sheer cool images of Leonardo Cuellar's (jersey number 17) with his immense hair do running at full speed across the field was to be enough to stop me from digging a little deeper on this 'National Selection' team...

... an inquisitive mind wanted to know.

It was then that I found about the 'Green Mice' moniker the team had earned. And I put emphasis on the word 'EARNED' because throughout their existence and participation in world cups they never amounted to anything major as they have always had - in whimsical words: a Stallion's start with a Donkey's stop. In the aftermath of every let down, there is a lot of analysis, a lot of reasoning and justification and finger pointing but nothing turns things around into a workable path to deliver good results.

Needless to say, my love affair with Soccer gave way to sort of a hate thing. I can't stand it. And whenever someone comes to me flag waving and cheer chanting about the best ever Mexican National Selection team... well, I get more excited watching an anchored cargo ship on the Upper Bay.

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Where Should We Meet?

2010-05-23T18:06:00.001-04:00

40-year-old Girlfriend's Group discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally, it was agreed upon that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant, because the waiters there had tight pants and nice buns.

50 Years of age, 10 years later the same group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant, because the food there was very good and the wine selection was good also.

60 years of age, 10 years later the same group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant, because they could eat there in peace and quiet and the restaurant had a beautiful view of the ocean.

70 years of age, 10 years later, the same group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant, because the restaurant had Early Bird Specials, was wheel chair accessible, and they even had an elevator.

80 years of age, 10 years later the same group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant, because THEY HAD NEVER BEEN THERE BEFORE IN THEIR LIFE.

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Of sentences in English that...

2010-05-08T20:11:00.000-04:00

... have every letter of the alphabet, sorted from the most to the least:

* Forsaking monastic tradition, twelve jovial friars gave up their vocation for a questionable existence on the flying trapeze. 106 letters

* No kidding -- Lorenzo called off his trip to visit Mexico City just because they told him the conquistadores were extinct. 99 letters

* Jelly-like above the high wire, six quaking pachyderms kept the climax of the extravaganza in a dazzling state of flux. 96 letters

* Ebenezer unexpectedly bagged two tranquil aardvarks with his jiffy vacuum cleaner. 71 letters

* Six javelins thrown by the quick savages whizzed forty paces beyond the mark. 64 letters

* The explorer was frozen in his big kayak just after making *** discoveries. 64 letters

* The July sun caused a fragment of black pine wax to ooze on the velvet quilt. 61 letters

* The public was amazed to view the quickness and dexterity of the juggler. 60 letters

* While Suez sailors wax parquet decks, Afghan jews vomit jauntily abaft. 59 letters

* We quickly seized the black axle and just saved it from going past him. 57 letters

* Six big juicy steaks sizzled in a pan as five workmen left the quarry. 56 letters

* While making deep excavations we found some quaint bronze jewelry. 56 letters

* Jaded zombies acted quaintly but kept driving their oxen forward. 55 letters

* A mad boxer shot a quick, gloved jab to the jaw of his dizzy opponent. 54 letters

* The job requires extra pluck and zeal from every young wage earner. 54 letters

* A quart jar of oil mixed with zinc oxide makes a very bright paint. 53 letters

* Whenever the black fox jumped the squirrel gazed suspiciously. 53 letters

* We promptly judged antique ivory buckles for the next prize. 50 letters

* How razorback-jumping frogs can level six piqued gymnasts! 49 letters

* Crazy Fredericka bought many very exquisite opal jewels. 48 letters

* Sixty zippers were quickly picked from the woven jute bag. 48 letters

* Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes. 40 letters

* Heavy boxes perform quick waltzes and jigs. 36 letters

* The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog. 33 letters

* Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs. 32 letters

* Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz. 31 letters

* The five boxing wizards jump quickly. 31 letters

* How quickly daft jumping zebras vex. 30 letters

* Quick zephyrs blow, vexing daft Jim. 29 letters

* Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow. 29 letters

* Waltz, nymph, for quick jigs vex Bud. 28 letters

* Blowzy night-frumps vex'd Jack Q. 26 letters

* Glum Schwartzkopf vex'd by NJ IQ. 26 letters

--

You were not counting them, where you? :-)
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420

2010-04-20T03:22:00.002-04:00

Have to admit that not until I started to absorb a little bit more of Americana I had no friggin' idea what 420 meant. So here we are on what appears to be a special date to one too many fans of the weed bearing the name Cannabis Sativa.

I am on the other side of the camp, and not because of lack of opportunities to try it, but more of a personal choice; as far as I can recall, from an early age I saw with great disgust such practices starting from the cigarette smoking (all the way to alcohol but that's another story): my father used to smoke but gave it the cold turkey treatment from one day to the next when I was born, and it is something I have always admired and been grateful for. Then there was this one time when me and my brother asked grandpa (Mum's side) what did the cigarette taste like - he was a tough man of the land and smoked like a Lakota Tepee on a winter day and that eventually was his demise... I remember him answering in one single word: "Amargo" (bitter) and handed it to us to try; I didn't, my brother just puffed on it and right on that moment Mum stepped out to the backyard and gave Grandpa the lecture of his life. I was probably 8 years old, my brother trails me by 3.

During the teen years it became more of a common occurrence to see some of my friends stray away to have a joint or two, some migrated to heavier drugs and some are long gone after their hobby became their downfall. Recreational drugs... I don't see where the recreational part has a solid standing; today as it was yesterday I still think that those who engage on infusing their bodies with mind altering chemicals are weak spirited individuals. With the escalation of the impossible to win Drug Wars and the slew of violence and death it continues to leave in my hometown (and country) I see shared responsibility from each and everyone of those who engage in their recreational habit... each puff, IV or whatever means they indulge upon has death attached to it - also has a lot of politics behind, maybe to be discussed at another time.

With all this it comes down to my main concern on the 420 (and related) culture: my son. I've had my talks with him since he was able to gather some reasoning of the world around him, I feel he has a good chance to make it through the offerings which already have caused some incidents with kids his age already on the stuff at school. There is no way to shield him so the only thing is constant communication and above all TRUST on him that he will make the right choice when confronted.

I found the following blog post:

A letter to my daughters about weed

It is a good read.

A friend mentioned to me, as I was inquiring about his experiences with the green leaf, that one should try everything at least once. I sneered a sarcastic comment back: "Well, maybe... what I find interesting in how people that say that always seem to miss trying one equally reasonable thing: doing the right one, at least once... it seems all the things to try are the self indulging ones, and that my friend sucks".

Whatever, people will continue to try these things at least once. Many will allow them to become a habit.

That is nothing to rejoice about nor celebrate. It's a loss.

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EATIOs

2010-04-18T19:56:00.002-04:00

Or better laid out: Emotional Attachment To Inanimate Objects.

A couple of years back (maybe), I saw this video where robot wars aficionados placed a Pleo in the arena and had the really nasty robots do away with him. Of course there were some kids crying and quite a few outraged parents... how dare they leave the poor thing at the clutches of some really horrific constructs roaming free with blades, clamps, drills and other assorted instruments. Pleo's fate was an unfortunate one.

But you see, Pleo was no different than the other mechanical contraptions it faced: just a robot. It was interesting to see the behaviour on those who attended. The emotional attachment to the little green thing.

I am not an Alex Jones follower, some of his ideas and assertions are really off the wall but then again, some do have a solid footing, like the one presented in the following video:

Being detached from inanimate objects does not mean I don't care for them, as I will in order to get the fullest return on use satisfaction and why not? a decent justification on the expense of hard earned money.

Still, I won't cry and despair when my stuff gives up the ghost, same applies for any of life's perks: I find it somewhat amusing that many people can not cope with a power outage for example. I won't scream Bloody Murder! when it goes out; ok maybe a loud F word utterance if engaged in a Halo game but that's it, there are somethings to do even with no power, and blame's on me if I am not prepared for such an event. I'm just saying.

On the other more serious issue that Jones discusses, about humanity as a whole placing more value on anything else but a fellow human being... sadly, that's true. Not even organized religion (be whatever it may be) can claim a clean slate on that premise.

Makes me want to ask the Earth bus operator to get off on the next stop.
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IRS Month

2010-04-11T19:31:00.004-04:00

Here's hoping those who live in the US have done your Taxes already. Myself I did them two days after receiving the W-whatever form in the mail, and have already dispensed with the refund - no, it's not free money, it was already mine as far as ownership goes, it was just loaned to the gov for them to work & play with and returned back with no interest whatsoever. Sweet arrangement if you ask me. Why? because they're the government, and we're not:

David McElroy is the creator of this short film.

On a lighter side of things. I was amused that WCBS in New York City hosted an IRS Weekend - with non-stop Incredible Records of the Seventies. Well done WCBS... well done.
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Got Puns?

2010-03-29T18:04:00.001-04:00

Here are the ten first place winners in the International Pun Contest:

1. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger".

2. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says "Dam!"

3. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

4. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says "I've lost my electron." The other says "Are you sure?" The first replies "Yes, I'm positive."

5. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

6. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why?", they asked, as they moved off. "Because" - he said, "I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

7. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

8. A group of friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop. Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that only Hugh can prevent florist friars.

9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and, with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him (oh, man, this is so bad, it's good) a super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

And finally:

10. There was the person who sent ten different puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

The Plan

2010-03-01T20:30:00.004-05:00

In the beginning there was the Plan.

And then came the Assumptions.

And the Assumptions were without form.

And darkness was upon the face of the Workers.

And they spoke among themselves, saying, "It is a crock of shit, and it stinketh."

And the workers went unto their Supervisors and said, "It is a pail of dung, and none may abide the odor thereof."

And the Supervisors went unto their Managers, saying, "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide by it."

And the Managers went unto their Directors, saying, "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength."

And the Directors spoke amongst themselves, saying one to another, "It contains that which aids plant growth, and it is very strong."

And the Directors then went onto the Vice Presidents, saying unto them, "It promotes growth and is very powerful."

And the Vice Presidents went unto the President, saying unto him, "This new plan will actively promote the growth and vigour of the company; with powerful effects."

And the President looked upon the Plan, and saw that it was good.

And the Plan became Policy.

This my friends, is How Shit Happens.

Of cupid things...

2010-02-14T17:44:00.004-05:00

A bouquet of flowers is the perfect vehicle to say a lot of things without words, and I had the local flower shop keeper happy with my frequent patronizing. I knew the owners well as they were the parents of a childhood friend of mine so the relationship was mutually beneficial: they would cater to my usually spur of the moment requests - not that they were every-other day or week but probably twice a month was the average.

One thousand four hundred and sixty days ago I touched the Sun; looking back I see it as the day that I bounced back after a major upset in my personal life, went from having nothing to at least having hope again... so much that it was worthy of trying to be the old me one more time. There was a poem I did not dare to send with the bouquet:

I wish you were my Valentine
Though I may not be yours,
And I may, in my ignorance,
Be speaking to closed doors.

I have no inkling of your heart,
No hint what you might say;
But when I think of you the sun
Will just not go away.

Your smile is a gift of loveliness
That makes my darkness shine,
And so I'll wait, if wait I must,
To be your Valentine.

When she expressed her gratitude for the gesture I felt alive again. And I feel it still to this day... four years in the making - that's a heck of a long time for a crush to keep going strong; but who am I to question such things? brings a smile to my face and keeps the heart warm.

Will there come a chance to do that again?. Can't tell, all I know is that it is a tall order, stakes are way too high but maybe that's a good thing, it has and continues to keep me out of trouble.

By the way... the poem was written by a poet from Fort Lee NJ: Nicholas Gordon. Stop by his site, I'm sure you will find something to like.
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Toyota Recalls

2010-02-05T14:10:00.007-05:00

I may have something smart and well founded to say about the whole Toyota recalls issue.

I may even have a slew of saucy conspiracy theories to spice up any dull conversation.

One of my best gigs ever was working in the automotive suppliers industry so - unlinke many "pundits" coming out of the woodworks with opinions on automotive matters littering the newscats with panic stories on Toyota - I do have first hand experience on how the industry moves, specifically on the manufacturing and quality assurance areas.

But I won't venture any of such rants and ideas; it's boring enough with the dismal panoramas portrayed everywhere on the news.

I will just volunteer THIS:

For those who don't remember, that was a Ford Pinto. It had some issues. Humanity survived.

Movie clip is from Top Secret.

Lighten up everybody!
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Women Language Decoded

2010-02-03T14:15:00.000-05:00

This blog proudly presents yet another useful document for men out there still trying to figure out what makes 'em tick. You really don't have to but on the scientific interest of knowing, here's how some keywords work out in real life situations:

FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument when they feel they are right and you need to shut up. Never use "fine" to describe how a woman looks - this will cause you to have one of those arguments.

FIVE MINUTES
This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that your football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so it's an even trade.

NOTHING
This means "something," and you should be on your toes. "Nothing" is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to turn you inside out, upside down, and backwards. "Nothing" usually signifies an argument that will last "Five Minutes" and end with "Fine".

GO AHEAD (With Raised Eyebrows)
This is a dare. One that will result in a woman getting upset over "Nothing" and will end with the word "Fine".

GO AHEAD (Normal Eyebrows)
This means "I give up" or "do what you want because I don't care". You will get a "Raised Eyebrow Go Ahead" in just a few minutes, followed by "Nothing" and "Fine" and she will talk to you in about "Five Minutes" when she cools off.

LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot at that moment, and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing".

SOFT SIGH
Again, not a word, but a non-verbal statement. "Soft Sighs" mean that she is content. Your best bet is to not move or breathe, and she will stay content.

THAT'S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before paying you back for whatever it is that you have done. "That's Okay" is often used with the word "Fine" and in conjunction with a "Raised Eyebrow".

GO AHEAD!
At some point in the near future, you are going to be in some mighty big trouble.

PLEASE DO
This is not a statement, it is an offer. A woman is giving you the chance to come up with whatever excuse or reason you have for doing whatever it is that you have done. You have a fair chance with the truth, so be careful and you shouldn't get a "That's Okay".

THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not faint. Just say you're welcome.

THANKS A LOT
This is much different from "Thanks". A woman will say, "Thanks A Lot" when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have offended her in some callous way, and will be followed by the "Loud Sigh". Be careful not to ask what is wrong after the "Loud Sigh", as she will only tell you "Nothing".
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MLK

2010-01-18T10:56:00.003-05:00

Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here's hoping you have taken your minutes to think about the legacy of the man for which we get to spend a day off from work.

We rarely do. As the man said.

Sleep, sleep tonight,
And may your dreams be realized.
If the thunder cloud passes rain,
So let it rain, rain down on him.

So let it be, so let it be

Hot Chocolate

2010-01-06T22:09:00.023-05:00

Finally after at least a year of waiting I got the excellent excuse to whip up some traditional Mexican Hot Chocolate. Those who have paid attention or have had the opportunity to come see what makes me tick by cause of friendship or fateful encounter, know that I am not a religious fellow, not by a long shot on any of the plentiful existing or to be devised forms of deity worship available out there... but I will gladly eat the cake.

January 6th marks the date where the Three Wise Kings (aka Magi) make their appearance in a place far far away a long time ago. The tradition has it to celebrate with the Rosca de Reyes, at least one trinket is embedded within the bread and whomever gets it on their "slice" must throw a party on the upcoming February 2nd, on the Día de la Candelaria.

Three weeks ago or so I found the end-all-be-all chocolate tablets in a local shop close to my place, I gladly placed two packs in my cart; hey, that's the way I roll sometimes. There are a few brands available, the one I got is the Chocolate Abuelita as manufactured by Nestlé.

Pictures say a lot more than words, so... let them take the stage:

4 cups of milk per each tablet

There it goes, milk has to boil slightly

The iconic Sara García image on the wrapper. Mexico's Grandma!

Now, I should have mixed the chocolate in the milk by using a Molinillo (to keep things traditional as they should in matters as delicate as Hot Chocolate). Lacking that essential tool I just kept stirring the milk until it started to boil, then poured the whole thing into the mixer... bad moment to find out that due to lack of use the base of the plastic vase is leaky, oh well, nothing a quick duct tape fix wouldn't take care of.

Once the chocolate is well mixed, it is time to serve it alongside a respectable portion of Rosca:

Yes... what could be more appropriate than pouring Hot Cocoa in my CoCo Mug?

Then I go upstairs to the other CoCo and write up this (yes, sometimes I do the basic article text there, then port it to fancy it up on the Wintel box).

I just had to throw that last one in there.

At least on this regard 2010 is starting on the right foot.

Cheers!
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Good Bye 2009

2009-12-31T23:46:00.003-05:00

Resolutions? none. Pretty much what I set to do last year stands but perfected. Call it my Peter Gibbons experiment on nothingness :-)

In worldly matters this is for me The Paranoia Decade, things have gotten so out of hand and constantly taken out of context since 9/11, and most of us just have looked the other way. The one moment of sympathy, the one moment of opportunity for the USA to establish itself as a true democratic force to contend with and follow as an example was criminally overlooked and tossed aside by one of the WORST administrations this country has ever hosted.

It is also the decade of corporate abuse. ENRON was first then the Too Big To Fail companies. In less than a year after receiving help from the tax payers, the big old companies are back to the big old ways. Shame on all.

My hometown of Nogales Sonora ended up the decade immersed in violence the likes never seen before, a war-on-drugs side effect no one but those who live within can attest to. The media reports dither the reality of these events, and the international media (specially the US ones) brush the whole thing as a 'we told you so, Mexico can't be trusted to keep for itself'; we're the market that fuels the trade but no one is supposed to take attention of that.

The 00's are also the decade of CHANGE. A tiny glimpse of hope as the first Black US President was elected into office. Exciting times to live in just because of this.

We need more bright moments like the last one noted above.

Out of the balance of the year it seems more bad than good things happened, there was no growth and a lot of wasted opportunities; and if we extend the scope of the analysis to the 10 year span of the decade, things will not look any better, it is a miracle we have made it so far 'til now all things considered.

Humanity's moves forward have been always been signaled by turmoil and chaos - I like to believe we're not in the brink of another painful 'leap' forward but looking around it is hard to establish a positive feeling that we're on the right track with the ways we foster.

So what is to look for in 2010 and the new decade it opens?. As always I will cheer to the old stand bys:

Prosperity: if there is any welcome it, and tend to it in a responsible way.
Happiness: same, work for it - it is a day to day endeavor.

May 2010 bring the best out of all. We all need that.
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Mo Rocca Likes Dogs

2009-12-03T21:31:00.004-05:00

Hot Dogs that is. A friend of mine posted a link to the following CBS story, an interesting essay on the one and only Sonoran Hot Dog.

As I noted on a previous post on this matter not too long ago, no hot dog that I've come to know in the Tri-State area can attempt to make a claim to top the Sonoran Hot Dog, not even catch the tail of its dust cloud as it speeds away in flavor and sheer wiener power :-)

Anyone who comes about with a put-down comment about the pork, the this and the what not will be quickly corralled and sent of to a Tofu Detox Camp.
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Reporter's Plight

2009-12-01T21:34:00.001-05:00

Having close acquaintance with the way news stories are created and then distributed - at least in the northern regions of Mexico, I can attest at the dangers the profession carries if the reporter stays true to the stories they follow and publish.

Year ago while working on a rather prominent media outlet in Nogales, in my duties as a Broadcast Engineer I became aware of how news stories can be sold, bargained and adjusted depending on who's impacted negatively by them - money talks. There is hardly any investigative journalism done in Mexico, and the very few who dare to follow have either been killed, are harassed by both authorities and criminals or have had to flee the country... as much "good" that can turn out to be per the following example:

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Armistice Day

2009-11-11T15:41:00.000-05:00

So it comes to be yet one more year of celebrating the Armistice, Remembrance, Armed Forces or Veterans Day. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, major hostilities of World War I were formally ended as the Allied Forces and Germany signed the Armistice.

Roughly 20 million dead. And this was the war to end all wars.

Today, amidst all the displays of flags, anthem singing, patriotic gestures and parades I do wonder how we all are honoring those 20 million dead. Did we learned anything?

History serves as a cruel but unavoidable bill of evidence that we didn't had enough; World War II came along shortly after the "Great War" with 70 million dead, the most part of it civilians.

No generation has gone by without knowing the world at war, somewhere, somehow, someone is at war. The killing never stops.

Why do we continue on this path of wanton destruction?:

Political reasons, which follow economic reasons
Religious reasons (the most obscene of them all)

Honor, duty, freedom... all those are waved incessantly before our eyes since we start to gather reason of the world that surrounds us; anything that strays from that is immediately labeled as unpatriotic.

I remember studying on elementary school about the the Mexican-American War in 1847: an engagement was fought in Chapultepec in which six military cadets, ages 14–20, fought to their deaths against the invading United States Marine Corps. One of them, Juan Escutia, wrapped himself in the Mexican flag and jumped to his death rather than be captured. That event with Escutia has long been revered as a clear example on the loyalty to one's country, the ultimate upholding of duty.

Even as a 8 year old then I couldn't understand how such a sacrifice was necesary, let alone be praised - you see, right after that happened several treaties were signed off between the quarreling parts, Mexico released half of its territory to the US and many people, including many Mexicans, made their fortunes that way. Those were the ones that most vociferusly called themselves patriots. Today their types hold public office positions... they continue to brandish patriotism left and right, and are the first ones to betray it.

It happens everywhere. Here in the US we claim and shout and bumper sticker Support Our Troops. Yet, for those fortunate enough to return their attention goes by criminally ignored: Veterans services are not at the level they should be, prisoners in jails get better treatment. Why not expense the resources thrown at flag waving and nifty parades into better and decent care of veterans of war?

I think we would better honor those sacrifices by being better citizens, better residents of this land.

Force never has resolved any problems. Those 20 million dead in WWI and 70 million dead more in WWII are silent voices telling us to be wise. We are just choosing not to listen.

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Onto something

2009-11-01T17:50:00.000-05:00

Edward Current is onto something, although he will have a hard time trying to cater to them all:

As Guatemalan singer Ricardo Arjona said: In our world, available religions outnumber happy children.

You can find more from Edward at his YouTube channel & MySpace page.
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The Bear's Age Gauge

2009-10-25T22:56:00.009-04:00

Stopped at this website and after plugging my date of birth I got the following:
You said your birthday is 7 / 6 / 1967
which means you are 42 years old and about:

50 years 8 months younger than Walter Cronkite, age 92
46 years 0 months younger than Nancy Reagan, age 88
43 years 1 month younger than George Herbert Bush, age 85
35 years 9 months younger than Barbara Walters, age 78
33 years 8 months younger than Larry King, age 75
27 years 5 months younger than Ted Koppel, age 69
24 years 0 months younger than Geraldo Rivera, age 66
21 years 0 months younger than George W. Bush, age 63
16 years 0 months younger than Jesse Ventura, age 58
11 years 8 months younger than Bill Gates, age 53
6 years 10 months younger than Cal Ripken Jr., age 49
1 year 0 months younger than Mike Tyson, age 43
3 years 1 month older than Jennifer Lopez, age 39
8 years 6 months older than Tiger Woods, age 33
14 years 11 months older than Prince William, age 27

and that you were:

34 years old at the time of the 9-11 attack on America
32 years old on the first day of Y2K
30 years old when Princess Diana was killed in a car crash
27 years old at the time of Oklahoma City bombing
26 years old when O. J. Simpson was charged with murder
25 years old at the time of the 93 bombing of the World Trade Center
23 years old when Operation Desert Storm began
22 years old during the fall of the Berlin Wall
18 years old when the space shuttle Challenger exploded
16 years old when Apple introduced the Macintosh
15 years old during Sally Ride's travel in space
13 years old when Pres. Reagan was shot by John Hinckley, Jr.
12 years old at the time the Iran hostage crisis began
8 years old on the U.S.'s bicentennial Fourth of July
7 years old when President Nixon left office
4 years old when Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace was shot
2 years old at the time the first man stepped on the moon
not yet 1 year old when Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kind of puts many things in perspective, doesn't it?
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Hook ups 101

2009-10-16T21:28:00.004-04:00

Got a call today from a friend - somewhat of a surprise as this rarely happens on a workday, made the Friday morning zoom by faster. It was an enjoyable conversation until the question came in: What's up with you?.

It is the third time I've been asked within a week. Is there some kind of contest between my friends that I don't know about? seems like there's some sort mad race to get me hooked; my friend this morning even offered to set me up on a blind date (I hate that combination of words) and it's not the first time. Oh well.

Eye candy will make me take a second look, perhaps turn my head around for a third or fourth look but it won't go anywhere beyond that - if you think maybe you have an awesome candidate I should take a chance on, make sure first she fulfills the following:

Non negotiable:

Healthy & active cerebral cortex
Sense of humor
Altruist, sensible lady demeanor
Age cut off - born no later than 1972, not earlier than 1968
Height: between 5'10" and 6'1" - you know... normal ;-)
No calorie counting health freak, that means no vegans
No smoking (do I have to say no drugs too?)
Drinking ok - socially, drunkenness not ok

Very NICE to have (highly desirable, almost a must!):

College graduate. Three solid points if some postgrad is under the belt.
Profession: Teaching, Medical, Engineering (two points added if IE, three gold ones if an EE)
Agnostic, but aware & knowledgeable about the ways of others
Enjoys museums, arts, movies, sightseeing, walking...
Music lover. Three worthy points if an instrument is played.

Icing on a cake:

Brunette, Black hair or Redhead, in that order
Divorced (well behaved kids ok) preferred over single/never married
Bilingual (English and something else)

So there, my wish list.

Still tempted to hook me up? ;-)

Now is the time for all...

2009-10-07T15:50:00.006-04:00

...good men?

If anyone knows about any out there please let me know, because according to Hollywood and the TV industry, there are no good men left anywhere. It's not pretty!

I was watching the movie Autumn in New York yesterday - Winona Ryder is just FANTASTIC on that movie, that is a major attention draw for yours truly. The story is credible and sad at the same time. The one thing that strikes me as its lone lump is how shallow the views of the male character (portrayed by Richard Gere) are... basically a self serving narcissistic schmuck afraid of commitment and prone to the whims and desires of the head that doesn't think.

That led me to reflect that in most movies and TV series, men are usually portrayed as faint shadows of what a they could truly be: loaded to the hilt with "baggage" they're afraid even to look at, mere accessories to a relationships world ruled by and only by equally unstable women, who then often complain about the kind of men they usually end up with - see the mediocrity vicious circle? no? ok... just watch a single episode - ANY - of Sex And The City to find out, just try to keep above the blatant flashing of a way of life hardly attainable by the vast majority of the working class women, otherwise you may miss the real drama behind this. Newer showcases like Mad Men and another chauvinistic classic: Nip/Tuck, don't fare any better.

Ok, maybe I am being a bit harsh on those belonging to my gender. Movies and TV don't really reflect the state of life, but more of a narrow side of it. Doing a movie or a TV series that involves a male character that upholds values like responsibility, care, love, duty & above all: respect to self and fellow humans... well, that doesn't make for a movie or a TV show that would draw audiences in. It is a boring premise... oh PLEASE spare us from such a misery!.

It's not much but the optimistic in me likes this to a tiny ray of Sunlight through dark clouds filled skies: on the weekend I spent some time on Tombstone, a film I will watch over and over to the end just to see the scene with Kurt Russell and Dana Delany, as Wyatt re-encounters Josephine:

"I have nothing left. I have nothing to give you. I have no pride, no dignity, no money. I don't even know how we'll make a living. But I promise I'll love you every second of your life."

Now there's the portrayal of a man not afraid to admit and face up to his baggage, a man that goes after what he wants when it is proper to do so, then and only then he makes his move. It's only on the last few minutes of the film, but the best part of it in my humble opinion. There should be more movie & TV moments like this.
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Driving means driving

2009-09-26T12:30:00.004-04:00

An excellent although still rather bland depiction of what can happen when things go wrong while driving. One thing remains clear - if you're driving you SHOULD only be concentrating in driving, it is not only texting that can cause such a mishap, but anything that moves the attention of the driver from the one he or she is entrusted to. Which was what?. Driving.

Cell-phones, eating, dancing, road raging, speeding... I've seen them all.

HD version of the video can be found here.

I just hope this campaign works to sway just one more person into being more responsible while driving.

Be safe.

Healthcare FAQ

2009-09-24T05:06:00.006-04:00

Q. What does HMO stand for?
A. This is actually a variation of the phrase, "Hey, Moe!" Its roots go back to a concept pioneered by Doctor Moe Howard, who discovered that a patient could be made to forget about the pain in his foot if he was poked hard enough in the eyes. Modern practice replaces the physical finger poke with hi-tech equivalents such as voice mail and referral slips, but the result remains the same.

Q. Do all diagnostic procedures require pre-certification?
A. No. Only those you need.

Q. I just joined a new HMO. How difficult will it be to choose the doctor I want?
A. Just slightly more difficult than choosing your parents. Your insurer will provide you with a book listing all the doctors who were participating in the plan at the time the information was gathered. These doctors basically fall into two categories -- those who are no longer accepting new patients, and those who will see you but are no longer part of the plan. But don't worry -- the remaining doctor who is still in the plan and accepting new patients has an office just a half day's drive away!

Q. What are pre-existing conditions?
A. This is a phrase used by the grammatically challenged when they want to talk about existing conditions. Unfortunately, we appear to be pre-stuck with it.

Q. Well, can I get coverage for my pre-existing conditions?
A. Certainly, as long as they don't require any treatment.

Q. What happens if I want to try alternative forms of medicine?
A. You'll need to find alternative forms of payment.

Q. My pharmacy plan only covers generic drugs, but I need the name brand. I tried the generic medication, but it gave me a stomach ache. What should I do?
A. Poke yourself in the eye.

Q. I have an 80/20 plan with a $200 deductible and a $2,000 yearly cap. My insurer reimbursed the doctor for my out-patient surgery, but I'd already paid my bill. What should I do?
A. You have two choices. Your doctor can sign the reimbursement check over to you, or you can ask him to invest the money for you in one of those great offers that only doctors and dentists hear about, like windmill farms or frog hatcheries.

Q. What should I do if I get sick while traveling?
A. Try sitting in a different part of the bus.

Q. No, I mean what if I'm away from home and I get sick?
A. You really shouldn't do that. You'll have a hard time seeing your primary care physician. It's best to wait until you return, and then get sick.

Q. I think I need to see a specialist, but my doctor insists he can handle my problem. Can a general practitioner really perform a heart transplant right in his office?
A. Hard to say, but considering that all you're risking is the $20 co-payment, there's no harm giving him a shot at it.

Q. What accounts for the largest portion of health care costs?
A. Doctors trying to recoup their investment losses.

Q. Will health care be any different in the next decade?
A. No, but if you call right now, you might get an appointment by then.

Spank, you're it!

2009-09-23T03:10:00.006-04:00

Found this article on the never ending debate about spanking your kids or not as a disciplinary measure.

Grows tiresome.

And while time is wasted discussing issues like this, we have generations of children following the narcissistic way of conducting themselves through life - a mode of becoming an adult that started as soon as a new breed of psychology experts got into writing books on parenting in the late 50s, at a pace that only increased as the flower generation got speed and eventually deflated, which got us to the point we are now.

Let's not get lost in the discussion of abuse, we all know where that starts and begins. Let's focus on what a firm whack in the sweet bottom underlines in the quest for a disciplined upbringing.

Discipline. That's the keyword. We should not resort to the last line of defense on a child discipline strategy out of plain old emotion (anger, desperation, etc), anything initiated on such is a clear step into abuse so there.

I got my kid a couple of encounters with the flat hand at an early age, probably 4 or 5; it was the last straw after repeated warnings on unwelcome behaviour. It has been a while since I did that, and whenever trouble ensues today it gets resolved on the cognitive level - as I like to call it, we only have to talk seriously about the matter at hand, it works for the most time and for those instances when it doesn't, then comes the tool of privileges removal... those have never failed and honestly, rarely are called upon, the voice of his conscience weighs in more and more as he matures.

Our own behaviour as parents will determine how effective a reprimand will be at the end of the day (even if the reprimand is a spank or two). I was spanked by both parents, Dad gave me (and my brother) a taste of the belt a couple of times, and let me tell you: We deserved it. We crossed the line. We thought we were cool (idiots really)... we had received early warnings and decided to shun them. We were not that smart. And we learned from it.

If you spank your child as a reprimand for being disrespectful (foul mouthed, vociferous, rowdy, etc) and THEN YOU ACT like such a schmuck with your spouse, neighbour, family member... what will your kid connect in his young mind? that he/she is the only one expected to behave well? wouldn't if be fair to say he/she will feel betrayed, confused and/or unfairly treated? why does mommy or daddy say or do things he/she was spanked for?. With such a bad example from the parents, the child will quickly learn that the spanking is just a way for the stronger and bigger to get their way... and most likely than not the child will become a bully; most likely than not that bully will become a troublesome teenager and in turn a weak adult - weak in terms of properly functioning within society.

Not all individuals are cut the same, there will be children that never get into trouble or mature in ways that never require a heavy reprimand when they go to the sidelines of behaviour. Lucky are those parents that fall into this category of offspring. Pass on the recipe!

At any rate, the parents have to act responsibly all the time and LEAD with the example. If things devolve out of control that to recuperate normalcy a spank is needed, so be it, but LEAD and FOLLOW up with example - surprise surprise --> parenting NEVER ends!. Otherwise you will just be seen as an annoyance whenever you blast your teenager for getting drunk and every weekend you get home bombed-out from the local bar.

Spank you very much for paying attention! :-)
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Praise, watered down

2009-09-20T01:29:00.009-04:00

"Honor a quien honor merece" goes a Mexican saying: Honor to who honor deserves.

In a recent flight I took there was a passenger that had she tried, she could not have blended in with the rest of us, you see: she was wearing a soldier's uniform.

When we landed at Dallas/Forth Worth airport, the Captain took its time to call in attention on the female soldier, asking for the rest of the passengers to join in at a round of applause and praise for being one of the many in the duty of protecting the country and risk paying the ultimate price for such pursuit. I saw that almost everyone joined in and the lady with whom I sat next to even turned to me and said: "oh it's so nice for them to recognize this!". I just nodded, didn't say anything... and I did not join on the applause.

I think that no one, not even a soldier - and especially a SOLDIER - does not deserve praise for doing what they are supposed to do. Period.

Understandable is that any given country needs a disciplined body to resort to in cases of distress and emergencies, in that light an Army is just one of the many tools a government disposes of to help policy go its course, but no the other way around as it sadly has been the case, more so in recent history. As a tool, it has been gravely misused by heads of office all over the world, and with special gross oversight by those in Washington.

"Support our troops", I see that on bumper stickers, placards, street bulletins, rallies... how about support our cops? or support our teachers? or support our construction workers? or support our Nurses? day care providers?. How about a moment of praise on an airplane or bus because an EMT was a passenger? how about a round of applause for the guys in Sanitation Services all over the country? how about a round of applause, bumper stickers and house banners saying: Support our firefighters?

No, that won't happen. And I will be signaled by many as an unpatriotic schmuck for daring to say ENOUGH WITH THE DELUDED PRAISE, specially for those whose business is killing, regardless of the reason - reason more often than not unfounded, fabricated and at all odds: inhuman.

We are raised and brainwashed to think that the only way to be seen and feel as a true patriot is to don the uniform of any of the armed forces divisions.

We have watered down the word "hero" by bestowing it on just about anybody, we have lost its real appreciation: I am more at awe on the school teacher that sparks the mind of a young kid than to someone that pulls a trigger on a gun.

No one should receive praise for what they are supposed to do. No one. Specially... soldiers.
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Independece

2009-09-16T01:32:00.004-04:00

Eleven years, that's what it took for Mexico to be declared an independent country from the then vast and powerful Spanish world-spanning domain.

In the end - after the death and destruction wars bring about - the conflict was resolved with political scheming by Agustín de Iturbide, a man of Mexican origin who raised the military ranks of the Spanish army to make Colonel, fighting the insurgents until becoming an integral part of resolving the conflict by negotiations with the main contenders on both sides of the issues. Soon after Iturbide would declare himself Emperor of Mexico. Great... the fledgling new country left a king to get yet another one - with real-life examples like this, it's hard to make a triumphant call saying such and such country is independent for they are not, none of them.

Nevertheless, in the struggle there comes the time for men of unwavering courage and accountable honor, true men:

José María Morelos y Pavón - He had been commissioned by Miguel Hidalgo to coordinate military actions against Spain in the southern areas of México. After several victories fortune turned against him, suffering a string of defeats he was eventually captured and sentenced by the Inquisition to face the firing squad on December 22 1815.

Vicente Guerrero - One of the leading military leaders fighting first under the orders of Morelos then taking on leadership of the insurgent army after Morelos's execution. His father, Pedro Guerrero, was a supporter of the Spanish crown and was at one moment sent by the Spanish Viceroy to talk to his son Vicente and have him depose weapons and get Spanish indulgence. Vicente was unmoved by his father's pleas, and was heard to say: Gentleman, this is my father, he came here to offer pardon from Spain and a job as a Spanish Army General. I have always respected him and his will, but the country comes first.

The rest of the story is complicated and full of double face characters poised on helping themselves first, having seconds and maybe the country would get something thirds. Until recent history things have been more or less the same, there are signs of a departure to a higher purpose from Mexican politicians AND civilians, but there is still a long uphill drive to follow.

In a way, the fight for independence (and the revolution - but that's another tale) has not ended.

Man Laws

2009-09-03T01:47:00.002-04:00

From the International Council of Man Laws:

1: Under no circumstances may two men share an umbrella.

2: It is OK for a man to cry ONLY under the following circumstances:
(a) When a heroic dog dies to save its master.
(b) The moment Angelina Jolie starts unbuttoning her blouse.
(c) After wrecking your boss's car.
(d) When she is using her teeth.

3: Any man who brings a camera to a stag night may be legally killed and eaten by his friends.

4: If you've known a guy for more than 24 hours, his sister is off limits forever unless you actually marry her.

5: Moaning about the brand of free beer in a mate's fridge is forbidden. However complain at will if the temperature is unsuitable.

6: No man shall ever be required to buy a birthday present for another man. In fact, even remembering your mate's birthday is strictly optional. At that point, you must celebrate at a strip bar of the birthday boy's choice.

7: In the mini-bus, the strongest bladder determines pit stops, not the weakest.

8: When stumbling upon other blokes watching a sporting event, you may ask the score of the game in progress, but you may never ask who is playing.

9: You may fart in front of a woman only after you have brought her to climax. If you trap her head under the covers for the purpose of flatulent entertainment (commonly known as a Dutch Oven), she's officially your girlfriend.

10: It is permissible to drink a fruity alcohol drink only when you're sunning on a tropical beach... and it's delivered by a topless model and only when it's free.

11: Only in situations of moral and/or physical peril are you allowed to kick another guy in the nuts.

12: Unless you're in prison, never fight naked.

13: Friends don't let friends wear Budgie Smugglers. Ever. Issue closed.

14: If a man's fly is down, that's his problem, you didn't see anything.

15: Women who claim they 'love to watch sports' must be treated as spies until they demonstrate knowledge of the game and the ability to drink as much as the other sports watchers.

16: A man in the company of a hot, suggestively dressed woman must remain sober enough to fight.

17: Never hesitate to reach for the last beer or the last slice of pizza, but not both, that's just greedy.

18: If you compliment a guy on his six-pack, you'd better be talking about his choice of beer.

19: Never join your girlfriend or wife in discussing a friend of yours, except if she's withholding sex pending your response.

20: Never talk to a man in a bathroom unless you are on equal footing i.e., both urinating, both waiting in line, etc. For all other situations, an almost imperceptible nod is all the conversation you need.

21: Never allow a telephone conversation with a woman to go on longer than you are able to have sex with her. Keep a stopwatch by the phone. Hang up if necessary.

22: The morning after you and a girl who was formerly 'just a friend' have carnal, drunken monkey sex. The fact that you're feeling weird and guilty is no reason for you not to nail each other again before the discussion occurs about what a big mistake it was.

23: It is acceptable for you to drive her car. It is not acceptable for her to drive yours.

24: Thou shall not buy a car in the colours of brown, pink, lime, green, orange or sky blue.

25: The girl who replies to the question 'What do you want for Christmas?' with 'If you loved me, you'd know what I want!' gets an Xbox 360. End of story.

26: There is no reason for guys to watch Ice Skating or Men's Gymnastics. Ever.

27: We've all heard about people having guts or balls. But do you really know the difference between them? In an effort to keep you informed, the definition of each is listed below:

' GUTS ' is arriving home late after a night out with the guys, being assaulted by your wife with a broom, and having the guts to say, 'are you still cleaning or are you flying somewhere?'

' BALLS ' is coming home late after a night out with the guys smelling of perfume and beer, lipstick on your collar, slapping your wife square on the ass and having the balls to say, 'You're next fatty!'
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Buying a Mac

2009-08-29T23:59:00.013-04:00

After quite some time analyzing pros and cons I finally gave in and got a MacBook Pro laptop. For at least two years I kept tinkering with the idea of getting one of the G4 iMac desktop machines - the "lamp" model on the used market of course - but never found a deal tempting enough to follow through; then it was considering the Mac Mini: have quite a bit of extra hardware lying around that would be put to good use with that small power PC hub - the least expensive way to join the team.

Two years might seem like a lot of time, it's not like I spent them twiddling my thumbs: my Windows based rig got hardware upgraded to keep up with the times, a Vista (argh!) based one came along early this year and also an ASUS Eee PC (first generation) joined the company of a TRS-80 Model 4 I restored to its as-new full working glory.

When I was finally done (if that ever can be proved to be an attainable state), I refocused into getting into the Intel based Macs. When I was ready to take the plunge with the Mini I ran the numbers and found I could actually afford something a bit more elaborate, lucky for me the ready time was almost in synch with Apple's latest OS release: Snow Leopard was released into the wild on Friday August 28.

Rather than deal with mail order and wait for the thing to be delivered a few days later, I decided to go to the Apple store. Oh what an experience!. First outlet close to the workplace is the one on 5th avenue - as expected the place right from the outside looked like a zoo, so avoiding it like the plague I headed out on the trusty NYC Subway to the store on Prince & Greene Streets, a bit less crowded but still 3/4 full of a rather interesting mix of hippies, hipsters, geeks and tourists.

You walk in and then you're greeted (maybe) by a guy or gal in an orange shirt, if your intent is to purchase something then you're provided with a guy or gal in a blue shirt who carry a card reader. I waited for a solid 15 minutes or so to finally get a blue guy... dialogue went something like this:

Blue Guy: so, what can I do for you today Rogelio?
Me: I'm ready to buy a MacBook, the 13" screen one...
BG: Ok... are you a Mac user?
Me: Yes, for quite some time now
BG: do you own or use any other computers at home?
Me: Yes,I do
BG: so maybe you would be interested in Mobile Me. Have you heard of it?
Me: Yes
BG: That way you can keep everything in synch, your mail, bookmarks, documents...
Me: Yes I know, but not now, I just want the laptop
BG: May I interest you on any accessories? a case? we have a good selection upstairs
Me: No thanks, the MacBook will do for now
BG (looking now a bit annoyed): oooook... I recommend Apple Care for you...
Me: No thanks
BG: Are you sure? You mentioned you have been a Mac user for a while, haven't any of your Macs ever failed?
Me: No, not really... maybe once but it was the internal battery and after I replaced it the thing was rock solid again
BG: Wow, that's awesome... you know, I work here and one had it not been for the warranty program I would have been in a bad way with my Mac
Me: Really? Well, let me tell you: I trust the brand, if it ever fails me once, that's it, I never buy another Apple product ever again
BG: I really recommend that, but if it's ok with you I will bring you the computer
Me: Thanks!

Clearly, the Blue Guy was annoyed with me as a customer and I understand where he's coming from: working on a sales commission the biggest money is made on selling accessories and services (believe me, I know), but me understanding does not justify the store policy on pushy sales strategies. I had done my homework prior to stepping into the store - and that is something I highly recommend to anyone planning on a visit to Radio Shack, Best Buy, the Apple Store or any car dealership - the tactics to pad your bill will be the same.

Needless to say, I am never purchasing anything on an Apple store, I will rather put up with the 'can't have it right now' mail order angst before having to go through another exercise in patience: with the conversation and all the waiting I spent about 40 minutes in the store.

In closing this saga, the Blue Guy and a Cashier guy asked me since when I have been a Mac user; I felt tempted to answer in the likes of "well before either of you started developing a spinal cord" but I refrained -being a smart ass would not be of any help to these two boys, instead I said "have you guys heard of System 6? the Motorola 68000 based Mac?", both with a startled look were "no". "Look it up" - I said, "it pays to know from where all this comes from".
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Notes on Piet Hein

2009-08-26T21:52:00.000-04:00

Before these notes get lost in the bit bucket of the Web:

Piet Hein (1905-1996) was a Danish poet and scientist with wide ranging interests. Millions of his countrymen knew him as Kumbel, the pen name he used for his poetry. He was a genius with many different sides: In addition to discovering the Soma Cube, he created a new geometrical form, the "super-ellipse", which is something in between the rectangle and the ellipse. The form also came in a 3D version and was then called "the super egg" or "the super-ellipsoide". As an artist and constructor, Piet Hein in the 50's and 60's gave form to beautiful pieces of furniture, and he contributed to make "Scandinavian design" become an international conception. Internationally he always tried building a bridge between the "hard" technical and natural sciences and the "soft" humanistic subjects.

Below is a sampling of Piet Hein's "Grooks" (aphoristic poem), as his poems were known.

T.T.T
Put up in a place
where it's easy to see
the cryptic admonishment
T.T.T.
When you feel how depressingly
slowly you climb,
it's well to remember that
Things Take Time.

NAIVE
Naive you are
if you believe
life favours those
who aren't naive.

PROBLEMS
Problems worthy
of attack
prove their worth
by hitting back.

THE ROAD TO WISDOM
The road to wisdom? - Well, it's plain
and simple to express:
Err
and err
and err again
but less
and less
and less.

A PSYCHOLOGICAL TIP
Whenever you're called on to make up your mind,
and you're hampered by not having any,
the best way to solve the dilemma, you'll find,
is simply by spinning a penny.
No - not so that chance shall decide the affair
while you're passively standing there moping;
but the moment the penny is up in the air,
you suddenly know what you're hoping

And one of my favorite Grooks by Hein:

CONSOLATION
Losing one glove
is certainly painful,
but nothing
compared to the pain,
of losing one,
throwing away the other,
and finding
the first one again.

All his work (20 volumes), originally published between 1940 and 1963, went out of print a few years ago, but thanks to places like Amazon some of the books can be found there. The most complete outlet is in Denmark, and can be found online by following this link.

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CSI Report

2009-08-23T21:44:00.007-04:00

Cough cough... sorry, remnants of what has to be the nastiest illness episode I have experienced in a long, LONG time.

I usually get one or two cold attacks per year, mainly at the change of season from and into the cold months - that's why I say I belong in permanent cold weather, thought I could have gotten that covered when moving to the tri-state area from southern Arizona but it was not to be that way.

Had to take a day off from work on Friday because by Thursday evening I started to see everything as through slow scan TV on a black & white monitor to make it... better.

As usual on these incidents, my fall doesn't relate to a single factor but to a combination of a few.

I believe it all started a week ago on the Sunday I decided to visit the largest open door flea market in the area: the Englishtown auction site in Englishtown/Manalapan New Jersey. I've been a rather frequent visitor of the place on the weekends ever since I moved in from Arizona, maybe once every 6 weeks or so as I roam the aisles for interesting stuff be it vintage computers or old radios or anything that may catch my eye.

So there I was on a sunny Sunday. Of course I had forgotten to wear a least a baseball cap or a better suited shirt... nope. Should have gotten something to drink but no, I said 'later on'. I walked for a good 40 minutes or so (yes it is that big) and left empty handed - I did see a couple of G4 iMacs but neither had the 17" swivel screen that I would agree to so I passed. After I left I went sightseeing - as usual - over Monroe and my former stomping grounds in South/North Brunswick until I got to a place in New Brunswick to wash my truck.

Everything was rolling quite nicely and not until I went shopping for some groceries before returning to Staten Island I bought one of those 1.5 liter water bottles; it all went in a flash and I should have known, it was already a bit too late to stop the starting chain of events that knocked me down close to the later half of the week.

Cold and/or flu are opportunistic invaders - at least that's my take on it, don't quote me on any medical regards... I don't trust doctors (except for witch doctors but that's another story). That little weekend dehydration episode was enough to leave the door ajar for the virus, all it needed was a little nudge which was kindly provided by politics (red tape) at the work place and something of more personal nature: only a month ago my kid had gone back to Arizona for school after a two month stay with me here, and it sort of hit me back again last week - the one month ripple I say.

There I went; and was at one moment close to driving myself to the ER or something. That bad. Last time I felt like that was in my FF days; maybe I'll bore you with that story in the future.

Anyway, seems after a three day seclusion things have gotten back almost to the way they were before, except that at least I know I gained some new antibodies to fend off whatever the flu season may deliver in the next year or two. Had enough stamina built up to tidy up the bedroom, neglected a bit since my son left, have plans for a makeover on that room during this upcoming week.

Am I ready for the work week?... meh... it's only from 4 to noon so? I guess I am.
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Pun Intended

2009-08-11T06:32:00.007-04:00

Stuff to spice up a dull conversation - guaranteed!. These paronomasia excercises are also very useful: uttering any one of these at the right time will let you know if your conversation party is awake paying attention, or daydreaming stray in other thoughts:

No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!
I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
A backward poet writes inverse.
I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
She was only a whisky maker, but he loved her still.
A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
In democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.
When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.

Ok, that's enough... really...

Men in Black Part III

2009-08-09T20:43:00.007-04:00

Got dragged into a e-mail flame war after answering a Facebook poll on the rights of aliens... yes, it was about the upcoming District 9 film.

The poll asked Do non-humans deserve equal rights?. As it stands when writing this it was 51% Yes and 29% No. I voted no and then commented on it and got a couple of interesting messages from people that really have an issue... with a lot of things, even the Religious Views I list on my Facebook page were thrown into the mix. Oh well.

I stand by my vote... and I knew some people would take the stance as mean spirited and - of all things: inhuman. Predictable aren't we?

Within my comment was the part that stated: while this is just a movie, it does provide for an opportunity to create a stir in our ways, to start a discussion on many the items we as a society chose not discuss in fear of upsetting the cart. Hardly a controversy has gone away because we decide not to talk about it - if anyone has a thought on the contrary with factual examples to base the allegation do let me know, but as far as I know the Blacks vs Whites or the Catholics vs Muslims issues have not been squared away, the rifts are still there ready to pop when the first opportunistic stimuli comes along.

The thing is, we have been raised and lived for Millennia under a Earth centralist system of beliefs and perceptions. Only 600 years ago the bulk of humanity still believed the World was flat, what are we going to do when someone or something shows up and challenges those beliefs and perceptions?. The reading of the bill of rights suddenly becomes a joke of itself: inalienable human rights? who will be the alien then? should non-humans share the same rights as a human?

It's a good thing this is only a movie. We go into the theaters and enjoy the show and walk out commenting perhaps on the special effects or the holes in the plot or in awe induced praise to Jackson's work with the film... whatever, but the underlying issue will remain, un-discussed, untouched. At least until the day comes when we have to learn a new thing: and that is all that we believed is wrong or needs at least a major makeover.

I wonder how many people will be able, and willing, to go though such adjustment.
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Become one?

2009-08-01T19:02:00.000-04:00

I was watching this a while ago and thinking beyond the rather crude depictions of violence, the message it conveys - and this story has many... it got me thinking.

It got me thinking that maybe, just MAYBE this is precisely what humanity needs to be reminded of what its place in the Universe is: a monumental ass-whipping of such proportions that brings the whole world to fight, but not for the petty differences like politics, religion, greed... you know, the USUAL stuff that apparently drives our day-to-day lives; a world united in a fight for survival of the species.

We have no natural foes except ourselves. All the other species in this planet face a struggle each day just to see another one come up, they earn their place in the circle of life... but not us. Not humanity.
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Something To Offend

2009-07-07T03:08:00.005-04:00

Being the equal opportunity offender that I pride myself at... being, I just couldn't let pass by an opportunity to stir up the pot and... offend someone :-)

Ok, here we GO!

What do you call two Mexicans playing basketball?
Juan on Juan

What is a Yankee?
The same as a quickie, but a guy can do it alone.

What is the difference between a Harley and Hoover?
The position of the dirt bag

Why is divorce so expensive?
Because it's worth it.

What do you see when the Pillsbury Dough Boy bends over?
Doughnuts?

Why is air a lot like sex?
Because it's no big deal unless you're not getting any.

What do you call a smart blonde?
A golden retriever.

What do attorneys use for birth control?
Their personalities.

What's the difference between a girlfriend and wife?
45 lbs

What's the difference between a boyfriend and husband?
45 minutes

What's the fastest way to a man's heart?
Through his chest with a sharp knife.

Why do men want to marry virgins?
They can't stand criticism.

Why is it so hard for women to find men that are sensitive, caring, and good-looking?
Because those men already have boyfriends.

What's the difference between a new husband and a new dog?
After a year, the dog is still excited to see you

What makes men chase women they have no intention of marrying?
The same urge that makes dogs chase cars they have no intention of driving.

Why don't bunnies make noise when they have sex?
Because they have cotton balls.

What's the difference between a porcupine and BMW?
A porcupine has the pricks on the outside.

What did the blonde say when she found out she was pregnant?
"Are you sure it's mine?"

Why does Mike Tyson cry during sex?
Mace will do that to you.

Why did OJ Simpson want to move to West Virginia ?
Everyone has the same DNA.

Why do men find it difficult to make eye contact?
Breasts don't have eyes.

Did you hear about the dyslexic Rabbi?
He walks around saying "Yo."

Why do drivers' education classes in Redneck schools use the car only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays?
Because on Tuesday and Thursday, the Sex Ed class uses it.

Where does an Irish family go on vacation?
A different bar.

Did you hear about the Chinese couple that had a retarded baby?
They named him "Sum Ting Wong".

What would you call it when an Italian has one arm shorter than the other?
A speech impediment

What's the difference between a southern zoo and a northern zoo?
A southern zoo has a description of the animal on the front of the cage along with... "a recipe".

How do you get a sweet little 80-year-old lady to say the F word?
Get another sweet little 80-year-old lady to yell *BINGO*!

What's the difference between a northern fairytale and a southern fairytale?
A northern fairytale begins "Once upon a time..." -A southern fairytale begins "Y'all ain't gonna believe this shit..."

Why is there no Disneyland in China?
No one's tall enough to go on the good rides.
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42 Years ago it was Windy

2009-07-06T01:00:00.001-04:00

Don't know if my Mum would recall the weather that precisely - she was actually busy with something more impending you know, but in a retrospect brought upon my 42nd birthday: the number one song - according to Billboard - on July 6 1967 was Windy by The Association... an interesting premise, as for as long as I can remember July 6th was usually windy and rainy, at least back in my early years in my hometown of Nogales Sonora México:

And what a strange trip it has been, full of ups and downs, at times wild and at times smooth moves to the left and the right... somehow I have made it through. Many things have been accomplished, some of them I am proud of and some could be better forgotten. No longer do I worry about tomorrow except for my son's, I just tackle it one day at a time; today's the best gift ever. Tomorrow? we'll see.

In closing (and as I get ready to bake the GREATEST Chocolate Cake the world will never come to know... because it will be gone before any one else comes close to it), the other noteworthy music that has ringed each subsequent July 6th after my not-so-by-the-book delivery (Mum, I love you!):

1968 - This Guy's in Love with You / Herb Alpert
1969 - In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus) / Zager & Evans
1970 - Mama Told Me (Not to Come) / Three Dog Night
1971 - It's Too Late, I Feel the Earth Move / Carole King
1972 - Lean On Me / Bill Withers
1973 - Will It Go Round in Circles / Billy Preston
1974 - Rock The Boat / The Hues Corporation
1975 - Love Will Keep Us Together / The Captain & Tennille
1976 - Afternoon Delight / The Starland Vocal Band
1977 - Undercover Angel / Alan O'Day
1978 - Shadow Dancing / Andy Gibb
1979 - Ring My Bell / Anita Ward
1980 - Coming Up (Live at Glasgow) / Paul McCartney
1981 - Bette Davis Eyes / Kim Carnes
1982 - Don't You Want Me / The Human League
1983 - Every Breath You Take / The Police
1984 - When Doves Cry / Prince
1985 - Sussudio / Phil Collins
1986 - Holding Back The Years / Simply Red
1987 - Alone / Heart
1988 - The Flame / Cheap Trick
1989 - Good Thing / Fine Young Cannibals

... and there I stop. The 90's and later just went to the dumps as far as pop music goes: New Kids On The Block and something named J Lo - what the hell was that all about? - there, I spoke like an old man already. Anyway, by the 1980's I was already in full Metal and Hard Rock swing so my path was clear and luminous - to this day :-)

- - - -

Interested in snooping around Billboard's yearly calendar? follow this link.
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Future Congresswoman?

2009-06-29T22:10:00.001-04:00

As published June 26 on The Telefile Blog... that piece of Bantha Fodder known as The Real Housewives of New Jersey manages to produce an even lower low, and by the way politics swing on this country, I wouldn't be surprised if the following comes to happen.

I would move to Massachusetts just to put some buffer zone between New Jersey an me. I am no angel, but as far as I know there is still some meaning to the word decency.

- - - - - - - - - - -

The Real Housewives of New Jersey's Danielle Staub might run for Congress, everybody! That is such a good idea! Though it is kind of bittersweet, because it looks like all her dirt has already been dug up. So backwards -- that's supposed to happen once you're already in office, lady! But no matter. She's going to be a fantastic representative of fine politics for me to poop on. Let's take a gander at all the urgent things she will promise to take care of for the citizens of New Jersey when she runs.

Healthcare Providers Will Cover Botox
Because when you're a 48-year-old woman without an income outside of your reality show paycheck, two kids to feed, and an ex-husband who keeps claiming your divorce settlement check is in the mail when it is most certainly not, you can't afford certain essentials like face poison. Congress must ease this hardship on American women now.

Public Lewdness in Bathrooms is a God-Given Right
Much like the Americans with Disabilities Act required businesses to have a handicapped stall for the good of Americans, so will the Americans You Can't Effing Take Anywhere Act require an additional stall for sexual activities to be added to the bathrooms of all New Jersey fine dining establishments.

Table-Flipping Will Be Added to all Hate Crime Legislation
Citizens, this is an imminent threat to all former prostitution whores. Clearly, they need special protection under the law, and Danielle Staub is the PW for the job.

All Deadbeat Dads and/or Alimony-Withholding Ex-Husbands Will Be Sentenced to Work Release with the Manzo Family
Where they will be subjected to an endless variety of deserved chores: Washing Dina's hairless cat, getting waxed by Caroline's daughter, being lent out to Teresa's husband to bury dead bodies in their odd-smelling basement, etc., etc.

Phone Sex Subsidies for Wireless Carriers
For too long we have been paying exorbitant prices to have phone sex with purported Gucci models, and that is not what the Framers had in mind.

In a Rated Issue, Abstinence Education in Schools Will be Replaced by Phone Sex Education
It is the safest kind of sex, and our children need to know this.

Improve New Jersey's Relations with Colombia(n Cartels)
They have been tenuous/non-existent at best under the current administration, and largely relegated to the underground world of organized crime. Danielle Staub knows this world intimately, and will work to bridge the gap between the nation's most misjudged businessmen and Jersey's figurative Main Street.

Library Funding Slashed!
A vote for Danielle Staub is a vote for keeping out-of-print books about you being a prostitution whore out of gossipers' hands.

And Finally, Prostitution Whore Licenses for All Who Work for Them
No longer will these indispensable members of society be treated like second class citizens who kidnap and threaten people when their coke deals get botched. The licenses will be like a badge of honor, and a daunting shield in the minds of would-be table tossers and library frequenters.

I could do this all day. Can't wait to wear my "Vote Staub!" button with pride. On election day I'm going to be front and center in her district, basically reenacting that scene from Gangs of New York where they make everybody they find on the street vote, then get a haircut, then vote again, then put a different hat on, then vote again, then put an Indian headdress on, then vote again, then I'm going to dig up every dead body in the area, drag each one up to the voting booth to vote, give it a haircut, drag it up to vote again... you get it. I really want her in Congress.

by Mindy Monez June 26, 2009 1:11 PM

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