Moving

Moving to http://facebook.com/CalmProto
cya

Scripps Bee

After watching the national spelling bee on ABC, I'm leaning back amazed at the clues they can ask for to remember how to piece together the spelling of a word. Type of speech, origin, alternate pronunciations, correct pronunciation, definitions, etymology, use in a sentence. Even with all these clues, I do not think I would get half of the words presented. Double letters in scientific words would throw me. Afraid my knowledge of greek and latin have lapsed as well. Oh well, off I go on another three day weekend before making sure other spell checkers are working okay...

New Trek

The new Star Trek movie is an excellent movie. Science fiction is just the setting. The story matters. JJ Abrams did a great job with this one. Nice plot, good acting, great special effects that did not steal the show. I am going to see this one again, and again. When the Dodgers leave town, that is...

Sport?

It has been a weird week at the Stadium Club. Outside the glass as normal, is the ongoing game. But on the TVs above and behind the bar, half of them are on the basketball playoffs. I'm almost confused. Another round please!

Above Sunset

So I'm on a rooftop of a hotel on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood watching a fashion show. How the hell did this happen? Friends of friends invite you to amazing places. The wine was good too...

Not Bad

Had a good weekend in Lost Wages. Played well in a couple of poker tournaments at the Monte Carlo. Floated for hours on a tube at the river pool. Splashed around in the wave pool. Watched dance and hula hoop contests, mentored another budding poker player. Fun, fun, fun.

Twenty Year Old Poem, Still Valid

Eye halve a spelling checker;
It came with my pea sea.
It plainly marks four my revue,
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word,
And weight four it two say,
Weather eye am wrong oar write;
It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid,
It nose bee fore two long.
And eye can put the error rite;
Its rare lea ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it;
I am shore your pleased two no,
Its letter perfect awl the weigh.
My spell checker tolled me sew!

Bien, No

oh s'il vous plaît, my pronunciations are terrible. I can not even roll my r in très bien. How will I ever communicate in french? I know, I know, practice practice practice. Just like baseball. At least I can still play cards. Bought Harrington's two new books on cash games. Now all I need is time from the bike riding, the dining, the theater, and work. No, there is no more time, just squeeze it all together in one big moment. Life was so much simpler a month ago.

Blue

You know I'm feeling well if the Dodger's are home and playing. Too many people know me there, though...
I have my tickets for the season and my lunch reservation for opening day, I'm ready to go.

Going to be Sore Tomorrow

So after that great fun Friday night, a few of us do it again Saturday night, then Sunday afternoon three of us decided to go for a bike ride. I'll let you guess who is who. After the bike ride from Venice up to the Santa Monica Pier and back, we ended up in skyloft above their home drinking espresso and warm lemon/ginger concoction. After an impromptu yoga lesson where they were either flattering me or just amazed at my rookie flexability, I started to get a cramp in my right calf. I had to beg off before dinner and head to a birthday party at my mom's for my closest cousin. Come Monday morning, I am going to be one sore puppy.

A Thorn Among Five Roses

Lucky me. A friend invited me out for Tapas, I had know idea what she was talking about. Apparently she invited several other of her friends as well and it was me among five women, appetizing, drinking, dining, listening to fine music and some of them dancing. It was a very fun evening that I did not really expect. Two were attorneys from opposite sides of the fence, one was a red headed cop who liked techno punk, and a women from Syria with her daughter the model, that met my friend the night before only because they all spoke french. If you look up Tapas on wikipedia, it is a tradition of Spanish cuisine after work and before dinner with a lot of drinking. This was not quite that, and it was a lentil Friday so I ordered nothing but items with tuna in it and avoided the beef and pork. The model had just finished a photo shoot for the Virgin America campaign for the french market. Her mom invited me to her home on Sunday evening, after we all meet at my friends house for dinner tomorrow. One lawyer was my friend, the other an intriguing blond who talked about her kids, and the cop knew more dodger facts than I. But I was the only one with season tickets, so they all became my friend. This was more fun than flying halfway across the country to play a board game, which is what I did last weekend. And the weekend has only started.

Dog Gone

Yes, I took him up to what could be his new home this morning. The interview went well, he seemed to like the yard, the kids, and the other pets there. He barked with tilted head when I left the yard, but he did not see me leave the home. I still have one of his chew toys in my pocket. I got about about a block away before my throat tightened and my eyes welled up. Damn I wish I could keep that dog. If only I had the facilities and family that could watch him all day. For he needs watching all day. They are a good family, and seem to like him too. I gotta go.

But Which Freeway

If you did not see the sign above, you could not tell which freeway this onramp would be leading you to. The two signs at either side of the ramp have no numbers on them. They did just open the ramp a week or so ago, and construction is not yet finished in the area, so maybe the numbers are just on back-order.

And a quick Charlie update. He has completely healed and I took him up to the pet hospital that treated him a couple of weeks ago. They were glad to see him, and he was checking out the place as nosiely and happily as he could. Interviewing a couple of new families to take him this weekend. I may even offer the no-problem-o return policy that Nadine suggested. He needs a pack around him. Whether other dogs or humans. I don't see him for hours and hours every workday, and when baseball season starts, I will be gone even more hours. Wish us luck.

Doggie Flashlight

Poor charlie, looks like a doggie flashlight. Thank you for the crating tips Jenn, he stays there until I get back and un-cone-head him and let him outside now.

Dog Days of February

On the first of the month, My Aunt Yanni passed away. Not being able to say her name, my brothers and I at an early age started calling her Aunt Yanni. I turned on my phone after improv class that afternoon to see two voice mails and two text messages from my sister. After reading and listening to them, she called again. When I answered, she put my mom on the phone who gave me the news. I drove right over there. After cleaning up the place and sorting through her paperwork, the question of her dog arose. Neither mom nor my sister have a hard for him. I have a small one, and could watch him until it's time to take him to a 'no-kill' shelter. Monday I left him in the yard with food, water, and apparently a new hole he dug under the back gate. He came home about two in the morning, or that's when I heard his bark to let him back in. Tuesday, after putting a brick under the back gate, he dug under the front gate, played in the gated front yard, then down the other side of the house to the other back gate and dug out again. He did not return that night. I went walking the neighborhood as before, no sight nor sound of him. Wednesday night after work, periodaclly opened the front door, and the garage door in the alley out back calling his name. Finally about 1:30 AM Thursday morning, I open the front door and yell his name. He slow comes around the from the side of the house to the front door. Tail not wagging, head down, eyes up. Bathed, fed, and watered him before he fell asleep on a pillow on the kitchen floor. After work Thursday, took him to a pet clinic where the nice doctor x-rayed, ultrasound'd, and blood tested the dog. Finding bite marks, he got shaved, cleaned, and a head cone. I got anti-biotics and doggie downers to give him twice a day for ten days. I did not plan to have him for ten days. If things went on schedule, I would have had him at the shelter yesterday. Two co-workers had family members who thought they might want to adopt this nine year old mix breed. One has now said no. The other is still pending. Not sure what the next move will be during the dog days of February.

Three Weeks of Boxes

Three weeks and two truck rental days later, I finally finished moving all of my stuff to the house. I haven't worked myself this sore in years. Now I have a house full of crates that I need to sort through. Also it is amazing what twelve years of squirming away boxes of stuff can collect. I now have nine computer monitors for six computers. Fortunately there is a county e-recycle event going on just a few minutes from the house this Saturday and I can take seven monitors and four computers in for e-waste disposal. Always need two of each, right? Now I have to patch up the holes in the walls [made before I went wireless] and paint and mop the place clean. Then find a tennant to rent the place out, or sell the whole complex. Want to buy a four unit complex?

Moving Up

Been a very busy week loading six crates at a time in the mini and moving all the small stuff to the new place. Tomorrow I rent a truck for the big stuff. In the mean time, a cute little celebration dance by a toy my aunt gave me: