Happy Blasphemy Day!

As much as I enjoy playing Bingo a lot of the fun depends on the hall and the callers. Donna and I are regulars at the Irvine Saturday night event, but decided to give the new one in Hawaiian Gardens a try.

Called The Bingo Club, the new building is an improvement over the previous hall, near the casino, according to everybody who used to go there. It's clean with a separate closed-in section for smokers, so you don't have to breath in second-hand as you do in some halls. They also have a decent food & beverage stand, with free coffee, tea, water & ice. Unlike most halls, the play is continuous for ten hours or more. Rather than having the typical buy-in you buy each game for a dollar, by leaving a bill on the side for the next as you play the current game.

Anybody familiar with what is sometimes called 'speed bingo' will have a general idea of how the callers operate and how quickly each game progresses. Donna and I, along with our friend Jean, were there for around two and a half hours, during which over fifty games (plus some special pull-tab games) were called. I gave up after #40 and the ladies played another ten. After that we were all wiped out and it was time to head home. I think we'll be sticking to a more normally paced games for a while.

Mirror: The Truth Behind Public Option

People have to know the truth! We can still hope and work for this. Contact your representatives. E-mail and call them. Tell them that should they fail to support a 'public option' plan you will not support THEM in the next election.

Progressives and people who desire a true alternative to the big insurance companies have to do something or we get shafted again.

Something Is Really Wrong w/ Our Educational System

The sad thing is that I am confronted almost daily by not only students, but adults who do not have a general understanding of basic things. I know that I have been accused of being an educational snob, but COME ON!!!

One of the amusing things, if you think about it, is that if Leno did a segment of his "Jay Walking" bit in his studio audience I don't know how many would still be laughing.

Been a productive week and it's not over yet!

We renewed our lease, so we'll be staying in Ladera Ranch for the foreseeable future. Donna also made the final payment on the cruise, so all we have to do now is start getting our clothes and sundries together over the next couple of months. Also, decide what we'll be doing with Babie while we're gone.

The forecasters are predicting another hot spell, or a continuation of Summer. Not a bad thing, but we continue to need rain and that isn't coming our way. As much as I hate driving in bad weather, I'd be willing to put up with it for a few days if it would ease the chances of more fires.

I know I promised not to discuss politics and the like, but the way things are going I think you can expect me to start ranting over the next couple of weeks. Not that I know what I'm talking about (When has that stopped me before?), but I do love bitching and moaning. :-)

The good news is that my eyes have not gotten worse and I still do not have to have surgery for my cataracts. The bad news, not a big deal except to me, is that I have to start using eye drops at night as my eyes are not producing enough moisture. If you know you know that I hate eye drops or even eye wash. The big reason I would never consider contacts is the mere thought of sticking something into my eye makes me squeamish. No way!

The 'walk-in' clinic was out of the flu shot, so I'm going to have to try later this week when a limited number will be available at City Hall for city workers. According to the workers at the clinic they company supplying the vaccine had to stop production for some reason. I probably don't even want to know!

Anybody else happen to watch the first Jay Leno Show last night? Nothing special, to be honest. Jay being Jay and pretty much doing the Tonight Show under another name. It does look odd to have Jay sitting in a chair minus a desk, at least for interviews. Nice seeing Jay and Jerry having a good time, but other than that I don't think the show is something I'd tune in to see every night.

It seems impossible that is has been eight years since 9-11 took place. They said at the time that everything had changed, but perhaps not as we had thought at the time. I'm sure everybody else will have comments about where they were when they heard the news and what they did for the next several days. I've already spoken about much of that here so there is no need to repeat myself.

I turned on the television this morning to see several events taking place around the country and heard of others on the radio during my commute. As I arrived at work the school directly across the street from the Library was holding a memorial ceremony with the students standing beneath and around the flagpole. I'm sure tonight there will be more televised coverage.

Me, I'm just going to take a few moments to remember. Wondering again, if some of the people I worked with at the WTC were among those killed or injured. Unlikely since I had worked there in '86, but not impossible. Family members did lose friends and co-workers that day, so we grieve for them as well.

Despite all the talk going on about who is American and who is not; who is a 'patriot' and who is not; let us remember that for one day we really were united. On 9/12 it did change and we can't go back.

Pixel Shrooms

It's all true!

So Van Jones has to resign because of past affiliations and his signature on petitions. Schools around the country are preventing their students from hearing the President of the United States speak on education. The health care reform debate has become one about 'death panels' and the government killing 'granny'. Wackos are carrying loaded weapons to city hall meetings and there are apparently millions of people who believe that Barack Obama is not an American citizen. I have had enough of this. I can no longer watch the news or read a newspaper without getting upset. The campaign last year should have been enough notice to me that should the Democrats win the right-wing in this country was going to go on a rampage.

I quit! I'm dropping all the political sites from this blog and plan to write only about personal things that affect me, Donna and Kristina. I'll talk about the weather, fires, earthquakes and our vacations, but no more about politics. I'm sick and tired of it.

Let somebody else care from this point on!.

Auto-Tune the News #8 WITH T-PAIN!

Just because!

With Hurricane Jimena moving up Baja it's probably a good thing we didn't make plans for another weekend cruise. It was pretty tempting with a four-day weekend, but with the 14-day Panama Canal trip coming up I think that will fulfill our cruise quota for the year.

The day-by-day changes in the filtering system have not only blocked Facebook & Twitter, but KINGDOM OF LOATHING (for 'violence', no less). LOL! Yeah, keep folks away from stick figures with swords fighting mutant goldfish, but I can get into REQUIEM where realistic & semi-naked Sims-like elves and wizards kill each other. Brilliant!! (Btw, I don't play REQUIEM, but was curious to see if I could go there when I found KOL blocked.)

We are talking about moving again, but it hasn't gone much further than a discussion. Our lease is up at the end of October, so we do have a month or so to decide. For those keeping track or planning a visit I'll let you know if we pack up and change locations.

I know I've mentioned this before, but once the wildfires start blazing out here I'm reminded of the book, Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the imagination of disaster by Mike Davis. My fellow librarian, Joe Grosso, recommended the book back when we were first considering the move here. Even though the book is eleven years old at this point, it is still relevant.

The fires are still way north of us, but you can see the plumes of smoke as you drive around much of The OC. The big fear is that it will overrun the transmission towers near the Mount Wilson Observatory and cause havoc with the television & radio stations. I've heard from The Child that a number of Cox Communication customers are having problems with their phones, but the company hesitates to send work crews into the areas already being evacuated.

Speaking of Cox, we discovered yesterday that what we thought was one of our televisions going, was in fact caused by the cable box hooked up to the bedroom TV. Donna is going to be calling for a serviceman to come out. Have to be able to watch Nancy Grace and the local 11:00pm news every night! Plus, falling asleep after Letterman's Top Ten has become a Chez Chaput tradition.

Since getting Facebook & Twitter accounts I can't figure out what to update first. I've all but forgotten the MySpace page, since almost everybody I was 'Friends' with there are also on the other social networks. I'm trying to figure out if what I post in one account is relevant or makes sense in the other. There isn't a total overlap yet. Twitter seems to have many of my comics related friends or folks I have met via YouTube, etc. Facebook is where my family and Donna's are keeping tabs on us, so immediate stuff seems to fit there. It's nice to still have my blogs, and I'll be trying to post a bit more, since it allows me to rant on for a longer time. :-)

FYI, the fires raging out here are much further north, so you shouldn't worry about us. We're following the reports, of course, since the dry,windy weather continues and it's not unlikely that a fire could start somewhere in the region. We have already had a couple in the area, but they were quickly brought under control. The 'emergency' kits we have prepared, are not just in case of earthquakes.

I was sad, but not surprised to hear of the passing of Ted Kennedy last evening. The morning news shows are filled with stories about his life & legacy. Unfortunately, you can't escape the tragedy of Chappaquiddick or the mark it left on Kennedy's career. Little doubt he would have been President, had the accident never happened. It will be interesting to see if the folks at Fox can talk about anything but that, or to glory that a "rich, socialist" is no longer in the Senate. I'm sure that Rushbo, Bill-o and Beckenstein will have a field day bashing the man, his brothers and family. In their minds, and I'm sure among a certain element in the GOP, this could not have happened at a better time for them.

Just got some bad news about a cut in a service we provide here at the Library. One of the sponsors is dropping their support and we are unable to come up with that money ourselves. It is unfortunate that something we have to assist job seekers, in these times, is being removed because a corporation is trying to save a few bucks.

Ambassadors of Harmony-2009 International Barbershop Chorus Champions

A big thank you to Mark Evanier for posting this. Watch it through, even if you are not a big 'barbershop' sound fan. Can't imagine the work that went into the final bit.

Ecomomics of Healthcare

We're #1 !!! It really doesn't make sense that people are fighting this change...unless (you don't think?) they are working for the insurance companies!! Nah! can't be.

So are we all screwed on this? I mean at least those among us who would like a "public option" as part of the Health Care plan being put together in Congress. Can we actually trust (well, certainly not the Republicans!)those working on this? I mean, we still have American troops fighting two wars, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfield and that other guy from Texas (what's his name?) who was in the Oval Office not being prosecuted for 'war crimes' or even serving time for other illegal activities. What the hell did I vote for last year, if not some action on all those fronts? It is beginning to appear that those folks who said I was wasting my vote on Democrats, might have been right after all. I'm not seeing a hell of a lot of difference, to be honest.

On a more personal side, you can check me out on Twitter, if you like. You can also find both Donna & me (with seperate accounts) on Facebook, where we are currently keeping track of friends and family back east. I have heard that there may be other folks I haven't been in touch with lurking about on one or the other, so please feel free to "follow" or become my Friend on either of those networks. No grudges held on my part!

Has Obama Been Bought By Big Pharma?

Might be time for a change again! The NYT has been wrong before and so has the Huffington Post. Maybe we do need a "REAL" third/alternative party if we can't trust the Democrats. (I've never trusted the Republicans!)

I find it interesting how the networks continue to give airtime to certain right-wing columnists and fringe wackjobs. Once you start comparing Obama to Hitler and screaming about 'death panels' it's time for the folks in charge to turn off the cameras and show those folks the door. From past experience in fandom (online & in print) it was at the point that one side of an argument or the other started saying "Hitler" that it was time for the moderators to close things down.

It's also apparent that the Right can say and do just about anything and the mainstream media finds it worth covering. On the other hand, the protests against the Patriot Act, the war in Iraq and other things that happened the previous eight years, really didn't amount to anything newsworthy.

I'm trying not to get all worked up about this, but I fear that there will be some real violence at one of these 'town hall' meetings. Not that Rush, Beck or Bill-o have instigated anything, mind you. These are just "average Americans" with no agenda speaking their minds.

Enjoy our new socialist state, fellow-travelers! :-)

I really hope I'm not starting to come down with something. Several of my co-workers called in sick today. Going from the heat outside into & out of air-conditioning doesn't help things. I suppose if I didn't catch anything in the petri dish that is the San Diego Comic-con I might yet escape a virus.

For those curious, we didn't feel anything from the two quakes in the Gulf of California yesterday. We had a couple of folks phone to ask, but all's well. The most recent small fires were also south & west of Ladera Ranch, so those weren't a problem either. On the other hand, the annual infestation of ants has begun, this time limited to the bathroom so far. We'll let the folks in the office know and keep an eye on Babie's water & food dishes. She seems happy to just sit and watch as they travel the tiles. Mighty huntress, that she is!

2009 has certainly been speeding by and we are already trying to see what we'll be doing for New Year's Eve. Of course, that's assuming I'm not dragged down by crocodiles during the boat trip I have planned on our Panama Canal cruise. The Tarcoles River in Costa Rica is noted for a large colony of crocs. Donna says I can have the riverside seat. "Lean over for a close-up, dear!" :-)

Not much else to add for now. I'll try to start posting again a bit more frequently, but tend to hit Facebook & Twitter more often when I can.