2008.05.17
Amy and Bill Get Hitched
Speaking of marriage, congratulations to my good friends Amy and Bill… After 10 years they are finally married! I’m writing this after the wedding ceremony at Old Saint Mary’s here in the City. Just dropped off my motorcycle and will head off to the reception.
Yay, Amy and Bill!
1 Comment | Catergorized: friends life san francisco2008.05.17
Gay Marriage… Again
The California Supreme Court just ruled that homosexuals have the same right to marry as straight couples. This has, naturally, led to passionate reactions from both sides of the proverbial aisle. Personally, I am for gay marriage. I believe in the expansion of rights granted by our many Constitutions, within reason, not the limitation of rights. So I won’t go too much into the reasons why I support this decision but rather into the reasons why some people are against it.
1: Same sex marriage will ruin the institution. This is patently false. I think we straight people have managed that all on our own. My own parents are still married, but nearly all off my friend’s parents are divorced. At one point over 50% of all marriages ended in divorce. If marriage is a pact for life, it has obviously failed.
2: Marriage is an institution to raise children within. Really? What about couples who don’t want to have children? What about couples that do have children and physically or sexually abuse those children? Who’s to say that gay couples couldn’t raise children just as well as any kind, loving straight couple? Besides, domestic partners can already adopt, so gay couples can already raise children.
3: This ruling goes against the will of the people. I can’t argue this one terribly hard except to say that often the will of the people is often wrong. For example, slavery, racial equality, religious equality, gun ownership, various forms of taxation, etc. I hate to bring up the Nazis because they are the worst, most extreme example and people hate reading about them when they justify someone else’s position, but the Nazi party did have the overwhelming support of the German people in their day. They were wrong.
If we ban same sex marriage, what’s next? Should we ban it for non-Christians, too? Should we ban certain types of convicts from being able to marry for fear that their criminal ways will ruin the idea of marriage? Should we ban marriage altogether as a violation of blending church and state?
3 Comments | Catergorized: political rights2008.05.13
Million Pirate March
Arrr… It’s pirate time! This Sunday, May 18th, be the Million Pirate March in San Francisco. It just so happens to be the same day and the same course as the famous Bay to Breakers faux-race; the more the merrier!
On May 18, 2008 history will be made when up to 1,000,000 pirates will
march forth toward the sea in San Francisco, California. This is a time to
affirm our love of pirates, parrots and even wooden peg legs.Never before have pirates joined together peacefully in such large numbers
to celebrate… well… being pirates.
I won’t be marching, but I’ll be in the Rose Garden along the course cheering on me mates. Avast! Thanks to Molly McGee for alerting me to this auspicious occasion.
2 Comments | Catergorized: life san francisco2008.05.11
Mega Drive
I’m on the East Coast right now. There are two reasons. The main reason is because my Mom will be having surgery and I want to be here for her. The second is to move my Gramma, who my parents have been taking care of, up to Boston area to live with my Aunt. Yesterday morning about 10AM I left my front door. It took 13 hours. At approximately 440 miles, that averages out to just under 34MPH…!
OK, so who the hell in Delaware thought it would be a brilliant idea to close three lanes of traffic on 95? This was the first time in my life I experienced a traffic jam that spanned an entire state. It’s a good thing 95 crosses only a small part of Delaware. This brilliant idea by the road planning commission cost me 1.5 - 2 hours. Further, I knew NYC would be bad but it was worse than even I expected. What’s up with all the lanes on supposed “interstate highways” being too narrow to even fit a car? Hello Brooklyn! I’m talking to you!
Overall, though, the trip was alright. Long, boring (rental trucks need tape or CD drives) but bearable. I’m pretty proud that I managed to pull it off.
PS: Happy Mother’s Day all you Moms out there!
2 Comments | Catergorized: family life2008.05.09
Red Rover, British Bulldog and Smear the Queer
Yesterday when walking to lunch, Banana Boy and I passed Washington Square where a group of kids was out with supervision playing Red Rover. Two ragged lines of kids facing each other, arms interlocked, yelling:
Red rover red rover
Let (kid’s name) run over!
I remember playing this as a kid, too, and I also remember a few other games that were a little rougher.
Anyone remember British Bulldog? Everyone except one kid, the bulldog, lines up at one side of the yard. When the kid yells, “Bulldog!” all the kids run and try to make it to the other side. Meanwhile, the bulldog tries to catch (read: tackle) as many as they can. Whoever is caught becomes a bulldog in the yard, too. It’s the bulldog’s job to catch as many kids running across the yard as possible. It’s the kid’s job not to get caught. Let me tell you, it was hard being one of the last kids facing a yard of bulldogs!
Anyone remember Smear the Queer? Not the most politically correct name for a game anymore, but a fun game none-the-less. Get a bunch of kids together with one ball. We always played with a football. One kid (the queer) takes the ball and all the rest try to tackle (smear) the queer. Once they get him a struggle ensues to get the ball and escape getting smeared yourself. The only goal in this game was to avoid being smeared and to brag that you were the queer the longest.
All of the games were a lot of fun at different ages. Somehow I don’t think British Bulldog and Smear the Queer would be allowed in too many neighborhoods and schools in this over-safe world of ours. It’s a shame; I miss them!
1 Comment | Catergorized: games memories2008.05.08
Special Lazy Time
It’s been special lazy time for my and the blog for the past week. I would apologize, but I’m just not sorry. :)
Work has been busy. Since becoming a manager I’ve gotten to do things I’ve never done before… like spend $200,000 on equipment that will depreciate in value faster than a cheap American car.
The big distraction, however, has been my Mom’s cancer situation that I alluded to here. Although the most recent prognosis is better than the original, I still don’t know enough to feel comfortable about the whole thing. I’m not stressed or anxious yet. I suppose that will happen when I fly out tomorrow and get a chance to talk to my family in person.
Meanwhile I’ve found and not posted tons of things I thought would be interesting, like President Bush trying to blame Democrats for the housing crisis and rising cost of gasoline, a site with tons of pithy rules of thumb and, of course, the uno. At least 10 people have sent me that link now… I will post a few more, including a relative large “Who Is the Final Cylon” entry, sometime soon!
No Comments | Catergorized: family life work2008.04.30
Iron Man Rocks
I just got back from seeing Iron Man tonight with a bunch of friends from work. Aside from some pacing issues, this movie rocked. Robert Downey Jr. nailed Tony Stark, rich playboy tinkerer (I would love to travel with him on his private plane!) but the most impressive actor was Jeff Bridges playing Obadiah Stane. I didn’t even know it was him until the credits rolled. The effects were spot on and though it left some lose ends I feel quite certain we’ll be seeing another Iron Man movie.
No Marvel-based movie would be complete without Stan Lee in a cameo role. He appeared as a hot dog vendor in X-Men, a security guard in Ang Lee’s Hulk, and in a couple of the Spider Man movies. In this one he appears as a playboy. The ultimate playboy: Hugh Hefner!
Even if you aren’t a fan of the comic book (and, honestly, I’m not) this was a lot of fun. I’d venture to say it’s even better if you have no knowledge of the comic, which in my book means they (the writer and director) did a brilliant job. Summer movie season kicks off with a blast with Iron Man. I’d even go see this one again!
2 Comments | Catergorized: movies2008.04.30
Anime On The Web
(Disclosure: I work for VIZ Media, a partner in this venture).
Almost a year ago Cartoon Network launched Toonami Jetstream, a website where you could watch certain anime titles for free. The problem was that you could only view them using a Windows computer.
Starting today, though, Cartoon Network has changed the format and now viewers from all platforms and watch anime on the web. Awesome! Current titles include Naruto and Hikaru No Go, both of which I recommend.
Congrats Cartoon Network, on being inclusive rather than exclusive. You’ve even added the ability to embed video from your site to ours. Awesome.
No Comments | Catergorized: anime rights technology work2008.04.27
Weird
I never thought I could be so content so alone.
7 Comments | Catergorized: life san francisco2008.04.26
Exhausted Whinging
Lately I’ve been super stressed with work. There is far too much going on and it’s affecting my sleep. This isn’t too unusual and once the projects are over I’ll get back to my normally scheduled patterns. A monkey wrench was thrown into all of this with the bad news that my Mom has some form of cancer. She just found out so the test results aren’t back. Until then we don’t know much more than what I just told you.
Normally I try not to let unknowns affect me too terribly much. After all getting stressed about the unknown causes anxiety that no one needs or wants. I wasn’t always one to push aside worries about things I had no control over or that were simply made up possibilities. At some point in my life I discovered I felt a lot better and relaxed if I just dealt with the facts instead of speculation. No matter the perspective, though, my Mom’s situation is bothering me.
When I was four or five we lived in the Boston area. One day I was near hysterics, running around the house and crying inconsolably. Finally my Mom caught me, pulled me on the couch and held me in one of her precious hugs. “What is it?” she asked, to which I balled even more. Somehow at such a young age I learned that everyone dies. “I don’t want you to die!”
Mom, even if we lived forever, that sentiment is still true.
7 Comments | Catergorized: family life work
